Southern Hospitality’s Joe Bradley and Maddie Reese began dating in April

Southern hospitality stars Joe Bradley and Maddie Reese gave us the full scoop on their relationship timeline — leading up to their Las Vegas wedding.

“I think around February we started hanging out,” Joe exclusively said Us Weekly December 18 during the season 3 promotion Southern hospitality, The premiere of which will take place on Thursday, January 2. “I haven’t been with or kissed since last winter since about February.”

The reality star revealed that she and Muddy “started being boyfriend and girlfriend in mid-April,” which was “a little bit before the cameras came.”

Joe gushed, “We’re very happy right now.” He added that Bravo fans will see the couple’s “love story unfold” in the upcoming season, as it was “pretty fresh” when the cameras were rolling.

“We just started dating a few weeks before we started filming, so I feel like we’re figuring it all out,” added Maddie. She admitted, “I’m still not comfortable getting into new relationships or dating or even putting myself out there, so I just feel like it’s going to be really interesting to see what happens and all that.”

However, that anxiety doesn’t seem to have hindered Maddie and Joe’s surprise plan to get married in Las Vegas. In fact, their shotgun wedding, which fans saw in the trailer that dropped last month will be a big part of this season’s storyline.

“I feel like you’ll have to tune in to find out (if it’s real)” Maddie teased during a joint interview with Joe. “I feel like you’ve been watching our whole journey from (when) we first started dating to talking about getting serious and taking that big next step. You’re going to see it happen and I’m excited because we’re in Vegas when it happens and it’s a great journey.”

Joe called the wedding, which was officiated by an Elvis impersonator, an “epic moment” in the show. He was tight-lipped about whether fans should call them husband and wife, but said Muddy is 100 percent his longtime partner.

“I think Elvis knew it too in the white cowboy hat, and I think everyone around us is finally feeling it and knowing it,” he explained. “This summer, you’re going to see who really believes in it (from) the beginning.”

Joe insisted the Vegas ceremony was “serious” for him because he “wanted to show my love for her and prove all the haters wrong.”

Although Joe and Maddie are happy in their relationship, they admitted that wooing in Sin City was a spur of the moment decision. “I think everything in our lives is instantaneous, so it’s really good for us,” Joe said us. “We’re spontaneous crazy people in the best way, but it was the right thing to do.”

He teased, “I definitely had to kiss a lot on Thanksgiving at her house” after they spontaneously said “I do,” sans family.

Although Joe and Maddie raised eyebrows over their choice, both admitted their romance was a long time coming.

“I did have feelings for her for years, but we were also best friends,” Joe recalled. “One day I’d wake up and say, ‘I have a chance with the girl of my dreams,’ and the next day I’d say, ‘That’s never going to happen.’ And most of our friends told me that would never happen.”

His mom, however, was always in his “corner,” reminding him, “That’s the one. Don’t be an idiot. This is your long term. It’s a long game, Joe. And I just, it sounds bad, but I didn’t give it up,” he said.

Maddie noted that for her, “timing was everything.” She was recently break up with a boyfriend Trevor Stokeswhich fans saw during season 2 Southern hospitalityso she had to “sit with it for a bit” before moving on to a new relationship.

“I’ve always had feelings for Joe, but I just didn’t know if it was a friendship or not,” she said. usexplaining that it was “very scary” for her to take that leap of faith. “It was definitely worth the risk.”

When asked if Maddie ended up making the “first move” this time, she teased, “I feel like Joe made a lot of (moves).”

Joe chimed in: “I did the first 300 moves and then it got to the point where I had to give her time and space to make that safe decision on her own, that leap of faith. But I was ready for it.”

Maddie really took her time, but she eventually realized that Joe was more than her best friend. “I think it’s kind of more (of) time that we’ve been both out of relationship and it was like, “Why not?” – she recalled. “That’s how it worked out for me.”

Season 3 Southern hospitality Premieres Thursday, January 2 at 9:00 PM ET.

With a report by Cristina Garibaldi