Gretchen Rossi and her fiancé Slade Smiley have not yet said “I do” to one another, in spite of getting engaged during The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 8 in 2013, and she’s now explaining why that is.
“Honestly, it’s really just been the timing of everything,” she said on Scheana Shay’s podcast, Scheananigans with Scheana Shay, on Feb. 14, adding that Slade had booked a work gig that he had to take around the time they initially wanted to get married. “Then life just got so busy.”
The RHOC Season 19 friend also revealed that having their daughter, Skylar Gray Smiley, in 2019, put a stop to their plans. “And then I started trying to have a baby, and that was so much money just doing the whole IVF thing and all that for four and a half years,” Gretchen admitted. “And then after we had the baby, we were just busy being parents.”
Gretchen Rossi posts an image of herself and her husband, Slade Smiley to her instagram on July 24th, 2023.
Photo: Gretchen Rossi/Instagram
Does Gretchen Rossi want to have a wedding?
Yes, she does. However, she admitted that she wants to do it right, with her and Slade’s daughter in attendance. “I’m not the kind of girl that’s like, ‘Let’s go down to the courthouse and get married,'” she explained on Scheana’s podcast in February. “I want the wedding…I want to have more of the big hoopla.”
Even though Gretchen pointed out on the podcast that she has been married once before, she explained that she wants the opportunity to do it all over again. “I had the big thing, but it wasn’t the right guy,” she continued. “So I wanted it with the right guy.”
Inside Gretchen Rossi and Slade Smiley’s 16th anniversary celebration
Although they have not celebrated their relationship with a wedding, Gretchen and Slade are still finding ways to celebrate each other. Gretchen took to Instagram on Feb. 9, where she revealed that it was their 16th anniversary, and that Slade got her a beautiful red floral arrangement and cake in honor of their big day.
“Slade & I are celebrating 16yrs together today! So grateful everyday to my Heavenly Father for blessing me with such an incredible partner & for our beautiful love story,” she wrote in the caption of the post.
What to expect from Gretchen Rossi on RHOC Season 19
Also worth celebrating is the fact that Gretchen is slated to return to RHOC as a friend for Season 19. The news was made official when the complete cast for the new season was announced on January 29. ICYMI, Gretchen will be joined by returning cast members Tamra Judge, Shannon Storms Beador, Heather Dubrow, Gina Kirschenheiter, Emily Simpson, Jennifer Pedranti, and Katie Ginella.