Grant Ellis & Juliana Pasquarosa from The Bachelor

Grant Ellis got engaged to Juliana Pasquarosa on the March 24th Bachelor Finale, but even though the couple is in engagement bliss, they plan on taking the long road to the altar.

“I think that we are taking it one day at a time,” Grant, 31, exclusively tells People in this week’s issue during a joint interview with fiancée Juliana, 28. “Right now, we are learning each other, and we're falling more in love with each other every day.”

Grant popped the question to Juliana during Monday's finale after taking her and runner-up, Litia Garr, home to meet his family. Though Grant told both women he was in love with them, he ultimately felt a stronger connection with Juliana and decided to move forward with her.

"I truly believe that you're somebody who is my best friend, and I'm so grateful for our journey, and when you're going through the toughest times in your life, I want you to know that you don't have to go through it alone, that I'll be there for you, as your man, as your friend, as your partner," he told Juliana before asking, "Will you marry me?"

The pair confirm marriage is the ultimate goal, but Juliana says there’s “no rush” as they continue to build a life together.

 

Part 2


“I just feel like we want to live life together for a minute,” the client-services associate says. “A wedding is a big thing, and there's so many people we have to meet. I want them all to have an opportunity to see [Grant], see us, and just have it make sense to everybody.”

“We’re going to live it up. There's going to be wine, there's going to be family, and it's going to be a celebration of life,” Grant adds of their eventual nuptials, which Juliana wants to have in Italy. “When the time is right, we're going to handle it and we're going to talk about it, and we're going to have a really fun wedding.”

Until then, Juliana says they want to focus on “taking it all in.”

The next step is Grant’s planned move to Boston to be with his fiancée. He was born and raised in Newark, New Jersey, before eventually moving to Texas, so the move isn't daunting for him.

“I love the dynamic that her town has and that her family has, and I want to be close to that,” the former professional basketball player says about his East Coast return. “I'm going to have my house in Houston, but I'm also going to come over there, and we're going to make it work.”

“We'll take a peek at some apartments and see what our vibe is like and where we want to be,” adds Juliana, who couldn’t be more thrilled to have her partner join her once she gets “back on track” with work.

Adds Grant: "We’re going to figure it out."

The couple is eagerly anticipating the start of regular life outside the confines of the hit reality show.

“I can't wait to go back to Olivia's Bistro, eat some mushroom tagliatelle, have some red wine, and just have a normal dinner,” Juliana muses about taking Grant to her favorite local eatery. “I think that that has been something since day one of even starting this process, and knowing what comes after if it is you, I just can't wait to live a normal life with you.”

Similarly, Grant admits it’s the “little things” that he’s most excited about finally getting to do with his partner.

“Dinners or just dancing in the kitchen, cooking together, or just seeing her family or mine—those are the things that I really look forward to," he says.

 

Part 3

One of the biggest priorities for the couple was to have their families “mesh” before the news of their relationship went public. “They've talked over the phone, over FaceTime,” explains Juliana. “We kind of did that right away when we got home because we wanted them to feel connected too.”

“There wasn't a second that I doubted after going to hometowns that they were going to accept my family and my family's going to accept them,” Grant adds about his future in-laws. “I feel like her dad and my dad really clicked. They both worked in a car business, so they had common ground. Obviously, that's something that's not super deep, but it's a thing that bonded.”

The final test of their relationship will be the upcoming meeting of their pets. “Now we just got to see if our dogs like each other because I just got a puppy and she has her dog Charlie,” Grant says with a laugh.

Adds Juliana: "My dog is not really a big dog person, or people person, so that'll be interesting. Charlie’s opinion matters the most.”

Their dogs’ feedback aside, the happy couple has no doubts they’ve found the right spouse for them.

“I feel so seen and heard and valued when I'm talking to you or around you, and I think those are the types of qualities that are so important in a relationship, and especially in a marriage,” Juliana gushes about her fiancé. “You always meet me with such compassion and love, and you really are my hypeman.”

“I was looking for somebody with compassion and somebody with character, and I found that,” Grant says, noting that he finds Juliana’s heart to be her defining quality. “I have no doubt in my mind that she's an amazing person, that she's going to make an amazing wife, and I'm excited. I think we understand each other to our core.”

 

Beautiful couple

 

Images from The Bachelor Season 29

 

I wish 'em well.

 

Good luck to them but . . . I wouldn't have let Rose go home to Chicago if I was him