The Bachelorette

And you thought your dating life was complicated. Eleven years, 25 seasons, and two spinoffs later, ABC's reality TV dating show The Bachelor may not have the best track record when it comes to finding everlasting love for each season's winners, but there have been a surprising number of hookups and marriages among the growing group of alumni.

The Bachelor just finished up its 17th season with Sean Lowe proposing to Catherine Giudici, and the engaged twosome is planning a televised big day. The only other couple that's still together (from the same season) is Jason Mesnick and his runner-up Molly Malaney, who married in 2010 and welcomed their first child in March. The Bachelorette has had a better track record with two successes out of eight seasons. The very first star of the spinoff, Trista Rehn, married her pick Ryan Sutter on national TV in 2003, and they have two children together. And then Ashley Hebert married her season's winner J.P. Rosenbaum (also on TV) in 2012. Even the Bachelor Pad has resulted in some love connections. After meeting on the spinoff, Blake Julian and Holly Durst announced their engagement during the finale and married last year.

Some of the more random pairs include Andrew Baldwin's ex-contestant Peyton Wright marrying Ali Fedotowsky's ex-contestant Chris Lambton in 2012. The duo even has a show together on HGTV. And recently we've been surprised by the matchup of two-time Bachelor star Brad Womack dating Sean Lowe's second runner-up AshLee Frazier. For even more unlikely matches, click on the helpful chart we created above!

A week from today Desiree Hartsock meets her eligible bachelors in the season nine premiere of The Bachelorette — and if she doesn't find her future husband from those 25 guys, no worries, she can always go back to the show's pool of exes.

She may not have won Sean Lowe, but this week Desiree Hartsock did win the title of The Bachelorette. During The Bachelor's After the Final Rose ceremony, host Chris Harrison welcomed the 26-year-old bridal stylist from Colorado to the stage to announce her as the new Bachelorette. Fans know she had one of the season's roughest farewells, as Lowe asked her to leave on the hometown date episode.

I've never felt a strong connection to Desiree, so I'm not incredibly enthusiastic about this pick, but who knows? Des could show a whole different side of her once she gets more camera time. If anything, I'm sure she's happy to have something to take her mind off the fact that Sean chose Catherine, and not her. Were you hoping to see Hartsock again?

It's confirmed: Desiree Hartsock is the new Bachelorette! While Monday was the end of Sean's stint as The Bachelor, it's also the beginning, as Chris Harrison announced the next star of The Bachelorette in the After the Rose special that follows the finale. If there was anything I learned attending The Bachelor Women Tell All taping, it was that there was a clear fan favorite from Sean's pool of exes, and it was Des. Find out below what Chris, Sean, and even Des told me on the bachelorette casting:

Desiree Hartsock
When I asked Desiree if she'd consider The Bachelorette, she wasn't very forward with her response. She told me, "It really is an experience that I wasn't expecting. It really is emotionally and physically draining. But I think it's an amazing experience, and I think that good does come from it. I believe in the feelings, and I know it's real. No matter what someone may say, that's a part of my family. I do believe in it. That would be a great opportunity, and I would have to think about it if I was presented that opportunity."

Sean Lowe
I asked Sean who he could see as the next bachelorette, and he didn't hesitate with his response. "I think Des would be a great bachelorette," he said. He elaborated, "She's a sweetheart. She's beautiful. I got just torn to shreds on Twitter after I sent her home because America seems to love her. So yeah, I think she would be great."

Chris Harrison
When I asked Chris who his pick is for bachelorette, he named a few of this season's standouts like AshLee and Sarah, but he's clearly rooting for Desiree. He told me, "I think if you printed out a poster of the bachelorette, it has a picture of Des on it. I mean, she is the girl next door. She is a young Katie Holmes."

It's official! The Bachelorette's Ashley Hebert and her pick, JP Rosenbaum, will be getting married on TV this December, ABC announced yesterday. And they're only the third couple to do so in the franchise's history. Back in 2003, 17 million viewers watched Trista and Ryan Sutter tie the knot, and Molly and Jason Mesnick wed in front of cameras in 2010 amid a downpour, in true Bachelor drama. Ashley and JP, a construction manager, both said they wanted to hold off on wedding plans until Ashley graduated from dental school, and it looks like the right time is now. Although no specific details have been released yet, there's already a lot we can expect from the couple's big day!

Lavishness
If Trista and Ryan's wedding is any indication, there's going to be one word to describe the event: lavish. Their wedding cost an estimated $4 million, featuring food flown in from 14 different countries and lots of pink, Trista's favorite color. Ashley's been known to keep things simple and stray away from bold patterns in her personal style, so we might see more of a neutral color palette — although we won't expect anything less than chic from the bubbly bride.

Magazine Covers
Even before her wedding, Trista was featured on at least six national magazine covers, appeared on Oprah, and was the first engaged celebrity to make it to the cover of Modern Bride. Ashley's following suit, already making headlines about her "dream wedding."

Celebrity Guest List
Ashley and JP are keeping mum on who will make the guest list, but we can be sure to expect some fellow Bachelor/Bachelorette contestants. Ashley's close with the other girls who competed with her for Brad Womack's attention; she even recently took a trip to Mexico with season 15 ladies, including Ashley Spivey, Britt Billmaier, and Lisa Morrisey. We can also count on her siblings to be there — including her sister, Chrystie Corns, who famously dissed JP on the show and said he wasn't the one for Ashley. Trista invited Bob Guinea, a contestant on her season, to the wedding, but we're not sure Ashley will do the same with any of her exes.

Sweets
Trista and Ryan might have opted for a $15,000 chocolate wedding cake, but our guess for Ashley and JP's wedding dessert? Cupcakes. Who can forget the adorable moment the night they met when she said she was going to marry a man who called her cupcake and he told her that was his nickname at work? Plus, the always-fit Ashley has said one of her weaknesses is a red velvet cupcake.

Designer Dress
Ashley donned some stunning gowns on her season, and we bet it won't be any different on her wedding day. Trista wore not one, but two white Badgley Mischka dresses, one of which was estimated to cost $70,000. But Ashley, who's having her gown custom made, has already left us guessing, saying her dress will not be white.

A-List Entertainment
Famous artists have provided music at the past two TV weddings: country music superstar Brad Paisley sang a song inspired by words Ryan wrote shortly after he met Trista, and Molly's favorite singer, Gavin DeGraw, performed at her and Jason's reception. Given Ashley's love of dancing, we wouldn't be surprised if she brought out some of her own moves to steal the show.

Roses
No Bachelorette wedding would be complete without roses. Trista and Ryan had 30,000 pink and ivory ones flown in from Holland and Ecuador, 12 dozen of which had Trista and Ryan photos printed on each petal. Rose overkill is acceptable given the situation, just as long as we don't hear Ashley say "Will you accept this rose?" any more.

With all the wedding fun to look forward to, there's even more that viewers can expect: Ashley and JP's bachelorette and bachelor parties will be aired, too. How appropriate!