Emily Maynard Marries in Surprise Ceremony
Former "Bachelorette" star Emily Maynard is no longer on the market. She married boyfriend Tyler Johnson in a surprise ceremony on Saturday, June 7, after reportedly only telling friends and family that it was an engagement party.
"Emily met a bunch of relatives at a restaurant for lunch and they had presents for her," an insider told Us Weekly.
Then, after lunch, the party was moved to Johnson's parent's farm in South Carolina, where the two exchanged vows in front of a small crowd. The couple met before Maynard began filming the "Bachelorette" in 2012. Maynard, however, became engaged to Jef Holm after the series ended, but their relationship did not last long due to rampant rumors of cheating by both Maynard and Holm. Johnson then became part of Maynard's life again, first as a friend, then a boyfriend, and finally as a fiancé and husband.
"He proposed to me at home and gave both Ricki and me rings," Maynard told Us of her engagement. "It was so sweet! Ricki loves him more than she likes me!"
Maynard is the single mother to 8-year-old Ricki, who is the daughter of her late fiance, Ricky Hendrick, who died in a plane crash in 2004. The two have been together ever since, and Ricki even appeared on the final episode of her mom's season of "Bachelorette," where she met Holm. The three appeared happy together, but it wasn't meant to be.
"We met at church," Maynard told "Good Morning America" of meeting Johnson. "I think that's why our relationship is so good now, because we started out as friends. We were really just friends and we got to know each other. I think that that's just a true testament to God's time and how perfect it is. I couldn't have planned it better."
"I went over there one morning and woke the girls up, told them I was going to cook them breakfast and kind of put them back to sleep," Johnson told "GMA." "Then I brought them downstairs and proposed to both her and Ricki. It was really special, really simple, and a lot of fun."