On the weeks leading The Bachelor 2017 finale, Nick Viall first narrowed his choices down to two final women, Vanessa Grimaldi and Raven Gates. Rachel Lindsay was eliminated in Finland (she was among the final three women). The finale show was filmed in Rovaniemi. Rachel is the newest Bachelorette and was surprised on The Final Rose show when she met a few of the bachelors who would be competing for her heart.

Both of the final contenders for Nick’s heart met his family. Raven seemed to be a favorite among Nick’s family. They liked her innocence and felt that she would not knowingly hurt Nick. Nick’s mother, Mary, seemed to think that Raven was a little too eager. Nick’s father felt that Vanessa was Nick’s type, which was a bad thing, because the women that Nick typically was attracted to tended to break his heart.

The couples had one last date.Vanessa and Nick went horseback riding and met Santa Clause, and the Finnish Santa gave them a gift, a heart-shaped souvenir.

ABC/Terhi Tuovinen

After their conversations, Vanessa said that she didn’t want Nick to propose simply because he liked her slightly more than Raven. She also felt that some of her questions weren’t answered completely, since Nick gave her general answers instead of letting her think that he was going to choose her over Raven.

After their date, Raven really thought that Nick was about to propose to her. She felt extremely confident in their relationship, and she really thought that she was going to be Nick’s future bride. They went ice skating together and had a fun time, which solidified their relationship in her eyes.

Nick and Raven ice skating during The Bachelor 2017 Finale Photo by ABC/Terhi Tuovinen

So, Raven was stunned into silence when Nick told her that he had not selected her. He proposed to Vanessa, and she said “Yes,” of course.

Nick Viall proposed to Vanessa Grimaldi during The Bachelor 2017 finale episode, photo by ABC/Terhi Tuovinen

The Bachelor in Finland Finland Travel Destinations

The season finale episodes of The Bachelor were filmed in Rovaniemi and Saariselkä, in Lapland, Finland.Rovaniemi is the official hometown of Santa Claus! Lapland Hotels, the House of Lapland, and representatives from Lapland and Finland as  travel destinations worked together with The Bachelor producers to help the episodes there go as smoothly as possible.

“It was a tremendous pleasure to cooperate with such an internationally recognised brand.” said Hanna-Maaret Heikurainen of the marketing department of Lapland Hotels and Safari. “We feel both privileged and happy to showcase the unique charm of Lapland as well as our offering and expertise within hospitality and outdoor experiences.”

Appearing on the show has given us great visibility, it is a big win not only for us (Lapland Hotels & Lapland Safaris) but for Lapland as a destination.

We expect to see more honeymooners in Lapland in the near future.

What advice would Hannah give to destinations and accommodations that would like a shot at appearing on The Bachelor? “My advice would be to invest in building successful partnerships for a common goal. One of our main partners was House of Lapland,” she said. “But at the end I believe it all goes down to your unique offering and how you’re able to package it.”

Photo courtesy of the Lapland Material Bank

Snow Covered Trees photo by Sulo Norberg

Photo by Lapland Pictures / Arto Komulainen

Photo courtesy of the Lapland Material Bank

Photo of Nick Viall and Vanessa Grimaldi by ABC/Terhi Tuovinen