How long a couple waits to have sex is a decision that's deeply personal to them. Whether they're abstaining for religious reasons, because of past relationships, or simply because they want to wait, many couples make the decision to wait until after they get married.
Though the internet is full of false flags about which couples have actually waited to take the plunge (Lisa Kudrow was the victim of such a rumor), we've rounded up some of the couples who have been open about waiting.
Ciara and Russel Wilson
Though the pair were previously married to other people — Wilson to his high school sweetheart Ashton Meem and Ciara to rapper Future — Wilson and Ciara were public about their decision to wait until they were married to have sex.
“For me, I knew that God had brought me in her life to bless her and for her to bless me,” Wilson told Us Weekly. "We're not going to be perfect, by any means. But He's anointed both of us and He's calling for us to do something special."
Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich
Julianne Hough was vocal about her decision to wait to have sex until marriage from the beginning of her career, explaining her reasoning to CosmoGIRL! magazine in 2008.
“I want to be with that special person,” she told the publication. “I think [the choice] to have sex before marriage is an individual one, but if you’re just with one person, it’s only for one good reason, and [waiting to have sex] will strengthen that relationship. I’m not trying to preach consequences here, but I think when you say no, down the line it will be a better decision.”
Although Hough didn't confirm that she waited to have sex until marrying Brooks Laich in 2017, nor should she feel obligated to, she also never publicly went back on her stance.
Sean Lowe and Catherine Giudici
Sean Lowe was notoriously known as the "Virgin Bachelor" during his time on the franchise, but he actually made the decision to be celibate after the age of 24, he told the site "I Am Second."
"At the age of 24 I finally became a man," he said. "I said, 'OK, Jesus, let’s do it again."
When he married now-wife Catherine Giudici, who he met on the show, their wedding was televised and the "virgin" aspect of their relationship was played up, with a live-stream of the Honeymoon Suite in the bottom of the screen during the ceremony.
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