Bachelorette Becca Kufrin may have taken a pass on Joe Amabile (aka “Grocery Store Joe”) on night one of her season, but Bachelor Nation immediately fell in love with him. And so did Serena Pitt when they both stepped onto the beach on Season 7 of Bachelor in Paradise in 2021.
Even though the couple has a wedding scheduled for September 2023, they just went ahead and “did the damn thing” (as Becca would say). Fans were stunned — but happy — when Joe and Serena posted an Instagram video Thursday of their courthouse nuptials, as reported by Page Six.
“JUST MARRIED !!” Serena and Joe captioned their joint announcement. “We are still having a wedding this September but who doesn’t want to get married twice!”
The couple also shared a full one-minute and fifty-second video of the ceremony on their YouTube channel. In the video, viewers could see the legal officiant instructing them to say “I do,” as they held hands and wore face masks.
After being pronounced husband and wife, the couple tore off their masks and embraced each other with a hug and several kisses.
Neither Serena nor Joe wore traditional wedding attire. The bride wore a cream long-sleeve top with black leather pants and black combat-style boots, while the groom wore a navy quarter zip sweater, black pants and white sneakers.
“We have always known marriage was in our future, it just looked a little bit different than we expected,” the couple said on Thursday.
Joe and Serena added that they’re “already planning” their wedding for next year, but they wanted a “private moment just the two of us” that “felt so special and intimate.’
Bachelor Nation immediately flooded the couple’s post with congratulatory comments.
“Congrats you two!!!! (For the record I’m ALL about getting married 2x) [3 heart emojis],” posted Bachelor franchise host Jesse Palmer, who had a second wedding to his wife Emely Fardo in France two years after eloping in Connecticut.
“Whaaat?!! Amazing. Congrats,” Nick Viall wrote.
“OMMGGGG YOU GUYS!!!! Ekkkk!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!” Ashley Iaconetti commented, while her husband Jared Haibon added, “Congratulations!!!!!!!!”
Oddly enough, no congratulatory message was posted by ex-girlfriend Kendall Long, who had unsuccessfully attempted to reconnect with Joe in Paradise, even though he was already in a relationship with Serena at the time.
As we all know, the grocery store owner and the Canadian publicist got engaged at the end of their stay in Paradise. They initially dated long-distance, until moving in together in New York City this past March.
Prior to their relationship, Joe dated Kendall for more than a year, after meeting on Season 5 of Paradise. Serena competed on Matt James’ season of The Bachelor, but broke up with him after Hometowns, when she decided he really wasn’t “her person.”
So happy for them! They really are a cute couple. I wish them every happiness.
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[Photo Credit: ABC/ Craig Sjodin]