Bachelorette Vet Clare Crawley Revealed Her Stunning Wedding Photos

When Bachelorette Season 16 lead Clare Crawley unveiled two of her wedding accessories on Jan. 28, fans suspected her big day was fast-approaching. Sure enough, she and her fiancé, Ryan Dawkins, were very close to tying the knot. The two made their union legal just days later on Wednesday, Feb. 1, and Crawley shared their wedding photos on Instagram a day later.

“Mr. And Mrs. Dawkins!” she captioned her post, which included three images from their wedding day. The photos revealed their venue: the California State Capitol in her hometown of Sacramento. As she explained in a second post on Feb. 2, it was a full-circle moment for the couple. “Our first date was at the State Capitol… So it was only fitting…. That we get married at the place it all began,” she wrote in a video showing loving moments from their relationship thus far. Dawkins called it the “best day of [his] life” in an Instagram comment.

The ceremony was small, as planned. Before they got married, Crawley told People that they were planning to start with an “intimate” affair to include her mom, who suffers from dementia. “Time is precious and time is limited, so we want one with her — just a small intimate thing,” she explained. Later, they hope to have a larger celebration. “Stand by for the big wedding reception!” she wrote in an Instagram story.

Their wedding announcement brought in a flood of well wishes, including many from Bachelor Nation. “Sending my love and congratulations,” former host Chris Harrison wrote in the comments of her first post. Many of Crawley’s past Bachelorettes joined in, from Season 1’s Trista Sutter to more recent leads like Season 16’s Tayshia Adams and Season 17’s Katie Thurston. Several noted what a “stunning” bride she made.

All the love and support was very much appreciated by Crawley. She posted a story letting her followers know how touched she was. “Just sitting here reading all your guys’ comments and I just want to cry because I feel like so many of you have been just around since the very beginning,” she said. “Little old Clare was just struggling. Didn’t know who I was, didn’t know how strong I was and what I deserved, and through the years, I just feel like all the ups, every, like, struggle, you guys have been around and see the comeback, and I’m so happy to share it with you guys.”

Crawley also sang her new husband’s praises, saying her time with him was “just been better than [she] ever wanted” and more than she realized she could find. The two recorded the story from Las Vegas where they’re celebrating but not on their honeymoon. The ex Bachelorette explained that they went there to see Bruno Mars and are “postponing the long honeymoon” for now; until then, they plan to be there for Crawley’s mom in Sacramento.

The couple’s marriage comes after getting engaged in October, about a year after Crawley and her final Bachelorette pick Dale Moss, ended their on-again, off-again relationship. When she announced she’d accepted Dawkins’ proposal, she called it “the easiest YES of [her] life” and noted that they get to “celebrate the light together.” That celebration continues, now as Mr. and Mrs. Dawkins.