It’s official:Arie Luyendyk Jr.andLauren Burnhamwill soon graduate from fiancés to husband and wife.
Appearing onThe ViewWednesday, the happy couple made the announcement that their wedding will take place next year — in Hawaii!
“We are very excited to tell you guys that we have booked a venue,” said Burnham. “We’re getting married in Hawaii on January 12th next year!”
Asked whether they felt like they were rushing things, Burnham said if they could “get married tomorrow we would.”
“We’re just really happy with each other and we vibe well together,” she said. “We’re best friends, so we’re just ready for that next step.”
Luyendyk Jr., 36, and Burnham, 26, were at the epicenter of the most recent (and mostcontroversial!) season ofThe Bachelor. Less than two months afterproposingto finalistBecca Kufrin, Luyendyk Jr. realized he was still in love with his runner-up, Burnham. He ultimately decided to break things off with Kufrin, 28, to pursue a relationship with Burnham — andproposed to heron live television during the two-hourAfter the Final Rosespecial on March 6.
Since then, all three parties involved havemoved on. Kufrin isengaged once again, this time after wrapping production onThe Bachelorette(her season premieres Monday on ABC), and Luyendyk Jr. and Burnham havemoved in togetherin his hometown of Scottsdale, Arizona.
“We’re in our condo now and we just bought a new house,” Burnham said onThe View. “Things are moving pretty quickly and everything’s been great.”
The couple also admitted that they have yet to watch their season finale — including thepainfully raw footageof Luyendyk Jr. ending things with Kufrin.
“My breakup was taped, everyone else’s was, and that’s just kind of the name of the game,” added Burnham.
And Luyendyk Jr. said he thinks his relationship with Burnham is even more solid because of what they went through.
“I think our relationship is stronger and I wouldn’t change it,” he said. “We’re happy. When we go out in public, it’s all positivity. And that’s cool to see.”
“Our relationship is so unique and it’s nothing that I’ve ever had before,” added Burnham. “So the fact that he was willing to take that risk and all of America hating him to be with me, that means a lot to me.”
Opening up exclusively to PEOPLE after the scandal, Luyendyk Jr. admitted he wholeheartedlyregretted proposing to Kufrinwhile he was still in love with Burnham.
Jana Cruder
“The simple fact is I made a huge mistake,” he said. “I made what I thought was a good choice, but my heart wasn’t in it. I felt the enormous pressure and the enormity of the show and production, and I felt I should lead with my head and go through with it.”
Once reconciled with Burnham, he said he felt like “a huge weight lifted off my shoulders.”
RELATED VIDEO: All About the 3.5-Carat Engagement Ring Bachelor Arie Luyendyk Jr. Gave Lauren Burnham
Burnham told PEOPLE she “totally” respected Luyendyk Jr.’s decision “to follow his heart.”
“I don’t blame him for it, and I think it’s made us stronger in the end,” she said. “It was worth risking getting hurt again to see where it could go. We’ve had a lot of conversations about it, and I know he won’t change his mind again.”
“It makes things easier for me knowing that he was able to be with Becca outside of this experience and he still knew that wasn’t what he wanted,” she added. “It gives me confidence in our relationship knowing that he truly wants to be with me and he took this huge risk to make it happen.”
And both agreed that they were “very excited about marriage and starting a family” — in fact, Luyendyk Jr. said he wants two to four kids.
“If we get lucky, maybe we’d have twins!” he said.
source: people.com
