From River’s Birthday Party to “I Do”: Chantel and Ashley’s Complete Love Story Timeline

Ten years after America watched Chantel Everett’s first marriage fall apart on 90 Day Fiancé, she just got her fairy-tale ending — with someone who had been there from the very beginning. On October 17, 2026, Chantel married Ashley Bowen in Alabama, and the way they got there reads like a rom-com script. Here’s everything we know, from the first meeting to the wedding day.

It All Started at River’s Birthday Party

Chantel met Ashley through her brother, River Everett, at one of his birthday parties. The two quickly became close, and Ashley became one of Chantel’s best friends. There was chemistry in the air — enough that Chantel once asked a friend point-blank, “Do you think Ashley likes me?”

The friend’s answer? “Oh no, she doesn’t like you. She’s just being a really good friend.” As Chantel later put it, hindsight is 20/20: Ashley had romantic feelings for her from the very start.

Chantel and Ashley at their Renaissance castle engagement — the moment everything went public. (Source: People)

The Kiss at the Bar — and the Pullback

Before Chantel left to film 90 Day: Hunt for Love, Ashley kissed her when they were out at a bar together. It should have been a magical moment, but Chantel wasn’t ready. She told Swooon that she intentionally pulled away — she didn’t want to kiss one of her friends while she didn’t understand her own feelings yet.

“I liked her for sure, like as a friend, and I had something between us that I didn’t understand,” Chantel admitted. Little did she know, it was the last time she’d see Ashley before Tulum — and the seed of everything that followed.

The Phone Call From the Resort

Surrounded by a whole resort of new sparks on Hunt for Love, Chantel realized something surprising: none of the connections in Tulum could compare to the one waiting back home. So from the resort, she called Ashley and asked if they could give it a real shot.

Ashley said yes — appearing on-screen via FaceTime during the season — and the couple confirmed they were officially d ating on stage at the Tell All. The friend zone was officially over.

The couple kept fans smiling with cozy selfies all through their engagement. (Source: TV Season & Spoilers)

A Proposal at a Renaissance Castle

After the Tell All premiered, the couple got engaged on December 17, 2025. And Ashley — a U.S. Navy veteran who served four years aboard the USS Carl Vinson, a digital film graduate of the Art Institute of Atlanta, an actress, the author of three workbooks “designed for set life,” and a musician — proposed like a rock star.

She got down on one knee and performed “Duet for Juliet,” an original love song she wrote and composed for Chantel herself. The road to the proposal wasn’t without bumps: Chantel’s mother, Karen Everett, had her doubts about Ashley’s intentions, and family tension ran high. But Chantel was determined to chase this love, no matter what.

The Dream Wedding: October 17, 2026

Less than a year later, Chantel and Ashley exchanged vows at the Fountainview Mansion in Auburn, Alabama, in front of roughly 60 of their closest friends and family. Chantel told People, “As two women, there is something deeply meaningful about celebrating our love openly and proudly.”

Then came the fairy-tale exit: the couple departed their reception by helicopter to The St. Regis in Atlanta. And the next day, Ashley surprised Chantel with the honeymoon of a lifetime — a trip to Le Blanc Spa Resort in Cancun, Mexico.

From a birthday party to forever — Chantel and Ashley’s engagement photo. (Source: ShineMyCrown)

From River’s birthday party to a bar kiss, a phone call from Tulum, a castle proposal, and finally a helicopter ride into married life — Chantel and Ashley’s story is the slow-burn romance fans dream about. Which moment of their journey made you tear up the most? Drop your pick in the comments — was it the castle proposal, the phone call from the resort, or that first “just friends” misunderstanding?