Kaity Biggar said yes to Zach Shallcross when he popped the question in Monday's Bachelor season 27 finale, but the couple wants to wait before they say "I do."
"Right now, the main emphasis is living together in Austin, getting to know each other more and more, and just see how things go," Shallcross, 26, tells PEOPLE in this week's issue. "There's no rush."
Biggar, 28, agrees. "We have the rest of our lives together, so why does everything need to be a rush?" she wonders. "It doesn't."
During Monday's After the Final Rose special, Shallcross told host Jesse Palmer that he and Biggar have discussed 2025 nuptials. Whenever the time does come, Biggar tells PEOPLE that the Bachelor Nation pals she'd invite "may raise a couple eyebrows."
"I have really good relationships with quite a few of the girls, but I would say my closest that I could foresee being at the wedding would be Ariel, for sure," she says, citing one of Shallcross's fellow finalists. "She's been a huge supporter and always there for me throughout this. Gabi, her and I are really good friends. And Jess and Mercedes for sure. Those are my girls."
Shallcross names former Bachelor and mentor Sean Lowe, plus Ethan Kang and Nate Mitchell from Rachel Recchia and Gabby Windey's season of The Bachelorette, as the Bachelor buds who will be on his guest list.
The ER nurse says she and Shallcross simply hope to live a "normal life" after months of keeping their relationship quiet.
"We were quite isolated — we can't go to a coffee shop, can't go to a restaurant or anything like that," Biggar says. "We've seen each other quite a few times and we get these happy couple weekends. I've never gotten sick of him, so it's been great. All I want is more time with him. When he gets to Austin, we're just going to try and live this normal life that we've been wanting to for so long. We're super excited."
The ER nurse says she and Shallcross simply hope to live a "normal life" after months of keeping their relationship quiet.
"We were quite isolated — we can't go to a coffee shop, can't go to a restaurant or anything like that," Biggar says. "We've seen each other quite a few times and we get these happy couple weekends. I've never gotten sick of him, so it's been great. All I want is more time with him. When he gets to Austin, we're just going to try and live this normal life that we've been wanting to for so long. We're super excited."
When it comes to living together in Austin, Shallcross says he expects the biggest challenge will be deciding on the right temperature for their apartment.
"That's something that we are working and compromising on," the former Bachelorette contestant says. "I run hot, typically. She runs cold. So we have to find that middle ground."
Biggar acknowledges that a compromise will be necessary. "He wants it freezing in the house 24/7!" Biggar claims. "I'm like, 'No.'"
Ultimately Biggar says, "We are a team. We do communicate so well together. We are going to make amazing life partners, and I just can't wait for the rest of our lives."
