Bachelor Nation is celebrating another surprising engagement! On Oct. 9, former “The Bachelor” contestant Gabi Elnicki, who was the runner-up on Zach Shallcross’ season 27, announced her engagement to Zach Espinosa (yes, another Zach!).
Sharing photos of her beachside proposal on Instagram, Elnicki was quickly showered with love as fans and fellow Bachelor Nation stars flooded the comments to congratulate the happy couple on their exciting milestone.
Gabi Elnicki Is Engaged to Her Boyfriend, Zach Espinosa
Gabi Elnicki didn’t win the heart of Zach Shallcross on “The Bachelor,” but she ended up finding her happily ever after with a different man, who just so happened to also be named Zach!
On Oct. 9, Elnicki shared on Instagram that she got engaged to her boyfriend of two years, Zach Espinosa. The former Bachelor Nation star shared several photos of her surprise proposal, which took place in La Jolla, a beautiful seaside area in San Diego, California, according to People.
Elnicki wore a simple long white strapless dress, while Espinosa wore a dark long-sleeved shirt and white pants for the engagement shoot. Espinosa popped the question as the two were standing on a cliffside overlooking the ocean. As People reported, Elnicki believed she was taking family photos, but Espinosa had secretly planned to propose to her instead, even having Elnicki’s family, friends, and even their dog, fly in for the surprise.
“It was perfect — totally unexpected and so full of love,” Elnicki told the outlet.
Elnicki and Espinosa were first introduced in 2020, but did not begin dating until 2023. As fans may recall, Elnicki finished as runner-up on Shallcross’ season of “The Bachelor,” where he ultimately proposed to Kaity Biggar, whom he later married.
Bachelor Nation Reacts to Gabi Elnicki’s Engagement News
Elnicki’s engagement announcement saw an overwhelming amount of Bachelor Nation stars in the comment section, congratulating her and Espinosa on this major life news.
Biggar, who won Shallcross’ season, wrote, “FINALLY!!!!!!!! congrats you guys! we’ve been waiting for this!!!!”
“The Bachelorette” season 21 lead Jenn Tran wrote, “Omg I’m crying. I’m so happy for you,” along with several heart emojis.
There was also “The Bachelor” season 26 winner Susie Evans, who commented, “Congratulations!!” And, season 20 “The Bachelorette” lead Charity Lawson, who shared, “crying!!!! sooo happy for yall, love you both!!!!”
Even “The Bachelor” franchise host Jesse Palmer took the time to comment on the happy couple’s post with, “CONGRATS YOU TWO!!!!!”
Speaking with People, the newly engaged couple had planned on a destination wedding in Europe, but now want a more “intimate” wedding in Elnicki’s home state of Vermont.
“We originally talked about getting married in Europe, but we’re now leaning toward Vermont, where I’m from, in the fall,” she shared. “We want it to be a smaller, intimate celebration with our closest family and friends, surrounded by the foliage and everything that feels like home.”
