Becca Kufrin and Thomas Jacobs Defend Their Untraditional Proposal, Reveal They'll Share a Joint Surname
Becca Kufrin and Thomas Jacobs aren't bothered by the mixed reactions to their untraditional proposal.
The pair met on Bachelor in Paradise's seventh season last year. Though Kufrin pumped the brakes on their romance before filming wrapped, they reconciled shortly after.
Now, the Bachelor Nation duo are engaged thanks to Kufrin, 32, who took the initiative to ask Jacobs, 29, to marry her.
"Here's the thing: usually, [it's] pretty traditional that the man proposes to the woman. I remember being in eighth grade in dance and at the recital, my ballet teacher proposed to her now-husband," the former Bachelorette star told co-host Michelle Young on the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast. "I remember as an eighth grader, the first thoughts were, 'That's weird.' And then, right away, I was like, 'That's kind of cool!' I still remember that moment decades ago being like, 'Well, that's kind of rad. You're switching the norm.'"
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Kufrin continued, "We've received so much love from people, but I've also seen comments where people are like, 'She's desperate.' 'I would never allow a woman to propose to the man.' 'I would never do this.' And it's like, cool, that's you. But why does it, as a female, make me desperate to want to [propose] to somebody? If Thomas in a week were to do the exact same thing, no one says he's desperate. It doesn't make sense to me. The logic's not there."
Kufrin argued that because "every relationship is vastly different," the couple should be allowed to do "what works for us."
"I knew that he would be so appreciative and supportive of it," she continued. "He would never be offended if the female proposed to the man. So, it's like, why should that matter who does it?"
Becca Kufrin/Instagram
Fortunately for the couple, their loved ones have been very supportive. "There was a common two words that were always said whenever we told my family and friends. It was, 'No way.' 'That's awesome,'" Jacobs recalled.
"I feel very fortunate to have been able to experience that," he added. "I'm even more fortunate that it's with [Becca]. And I'm just excited for this life, you know?"
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As for what's next, Kufrin and Jacobs said they plan to hyphenate their last names after getting married.
"I don't know if it matters, Kufrin-Jacobs or Jacobs-Kufrin. But we'll for sure hyphenate and we'll have our kids hyphenate too," Kufrin said, adding, "They're both of us."
"One of the reasons that's also special, especially for the kids, is because since Becca lost her father and it's her and her sister, I just don't want to see any scenario where there's not a Kufrin going around in the world," Jacobs added. "I think that's a special thing to have, especially since in the [psychic] reading, we did confirm we're having a boy first when that happens.
