ATPP 5-Year Anniversary Party

To my wonderful, intelligent, loyal, insightful readers: THANK YOU.

I love the written word but it cannot properly express how touched I was last Monday night. It was such a joy to have hosted and met and chatted with you! Not only did all of you brave torrential rain to attend, some of you took trains and even planes to make it happen. I am honored and humbled by your dedication and enthusiasm!

Andy deserves special mention. Sure, everything about this blog is my doing—truthfully, he doesn’t even watch the show if I’m not home to rope him into it, and thus he rarely even reads my recaps. 😂 But I cannot tell you how many times I’ve been on the verge of quitting, of feeling defeated. It has sometimes felt like the rewards or response weren’t worth the time and effort. It was always Andy who convinced me to stick with this blog, just as it was he who supported me in starting it 5 years ago, when we’d only known each other for about 2 months. So many people wouldn’t get it, wouldn’t see the point, would find it silly. But there is no idea too silly for Andy, and I love him for it.

Something that has been on my mind throughout the planning and execution of this affair: our words and actions matter. As I said to a few of you on Monday: If‚ after spending hours on a post, I published it and sent it out into the world and received not a single comment or bit of feedback, I would have quit a LONG time ago. It wouldn’t matter if my traffic were great, if I had tons of readers but they were just silent sleuthers. The bottom line is, if I didn’t feel like I was speaking to or resonating with someone, it wouldn’t be worth it to continue. So I want to take a paragraph to truly thank my commenters. YOU are the ones that make this blog a community, and subsequently keep it running. (Also, you’re kind of famous; I had many guests on Monday ask who was who. Max, several people wanted to know if you were there so they could meet you!) So, just a reminder (for myself as well!) that, even in a world where we’re usually behind a screen, our words and actions matter. Being on the other side of a blog has really taught me that. Taking the few minutes to write something (anything!), to comment on an Instagram post that speaks to you, or to let the writer behind whatever you read know you’re reading it… it matters. So, dear commenters, thank you.

Without further ado, here’s the party photo album!

As you can probably imagine, being in Bachelor Nation, I’ve been to my fair share of episode viewing parties. So it was surprising to hear that it was the first ever viewing party for a lot of you. Many of you told me the energy was infectious, that it elevated the viewing experience to watch and react with so many fellow viewers and new friends.

That brings me to what was easily coolest part for me: hearing about friendships being made right there, that night. Several of you approached me in pairs or groups, having arrived alone but then having met each other. This warmed my heart as it was truly my intention to bring people together. As I said on this Instagram post, it’s about the people you’d never have a chance to meet. My producer Elan Gale always told me that what made The Bachelor so special, each as a producer and as a contestant, was the opportunity to get to know (and I mean REALLY get to know) people from all walks of life. So on that note: Under what other circumstances would nearly 200 of us be gathered in a hotel bar in New York City on a rainy Monday night?

It would be a waste NOT to make new friends, to NOT laugh at (but still appreciate) the bizarre show (and subsequent bizarre blog!) that brought us all there, in the same place and the same time. You only get this one life, and it’s all too easy to stay in your lane (sorry!) and not branch out and do things like this. So thank you for your great attitudes, your sense of adventure, and your ability to commit. I see you!!!

Finally, since I know some of you will ask…

What I Wore

WAYF “VIRGIL” CUT OUT JUMPSUIT | LOEFFLER RANDALL “LANGLEY” STRIPED RUFFLE MULE [OLD - AVAILABLE HERE AND HERE] | AMAZON CRYSTAL PANDA STUD EARRINGS | IRINA VICTORIA “WISHBONE” NECKLACE | ETSY GOLDFILL CHAIN LACE CHOKER + CATBIRD “GENTLE SPIDER” CHARM

If you see a photo here you like and want, feel free to contact me for a high-res version!
Also, if you choose to share any of these photos, please remember tag the corresponding photographer.
They are the very talented Clarence Chan and Martin Lee!

Thank you again for making me feel so loved and lucky!