Here's How Amy Johnson Feels About Her New Husband Watching Below Deck

Last year ended up being one of the most momentous for Below Deck alum Amy Johnson — and not for the reasons you're thinking.

No, Amy, who served as a stew in Seasons 2 and 3 of Below Deck, managed to actually find some joy in 2020 as she got engaged to Ellis Lenthall in July and later tied the knot in an intimate wedding at their home in North Carolina on October 3.

"We were gonna wait out this pandemic and after that, we were like, 'Who knows how long we would have to wait?' So, we just did a small ceremony and had the party at our house... Just a few friends and our family, and it was lovely," Amy said of her wedding during an exclusive interview with Bravo Insider in mid-January. "And then we took off for the mountains for our honeymoon in wine country and just had a ball, and it's been great since."

Amy's brother and fellow Below Deck alum Kelley Johnson was also able to attend her wedding, although the couple "kept it really small and intimate" with no wedding party. "If I would’ve had bridesmaids, [they] would’ve been in Texas [Amy's home state], and they couldn’t have all come," she explained. "And so we just kept it simple thinking that, let’s get married now, and then if we feel the need, we can throw a party in a year or three years where we can have everyone there, but we just didn’t wanna wait to get married."

Amy and Ellis, who is an outside sales account executive for an electrical distributor and engineering company, will have been together as a couple for two years this coming March. Yachting actually played a role in their meet-cute when one of Amy's best friends from her time in the industry introduced her to Ellis through his cousin at a golf tournament in West Palm Beach, where Amy was living at the time. "They hadn’t told me about Ellis, but they had told Ellis that they wanted to introduce him to me," Amy recalled. "But I went, and we met, and just hit it off. And basically, he flew back two weeks later, and we kinda started long distance at that point."

The former stew's experience in yachting actually helped her maintain that long distance relationship with Ellis. "When you’re yachting, any relationship, even if they’re in the same town, is long distance. So, he’s really patient and really good about communication. I was not so much and didn’t really like talking on the phone that much, but I, for some reason, enjoyed talking to him," Amy said. "And you have to have that [in] long distance, because it’s just all about communication, which, looking back, was such a beautiful foundation for our relationship and friendship. He’s my best friend."

In fact, Amy said that she appreciates gaining some life experience before she said "I do." "Married life has been really good. He and I are both, I wouldn’t say older, but compared to all my friends in Texas who got married — most of my friends got married before the age of 25 and have three children, you know? We waited, I’m in my mid-30s and he as well, and so I think when you wait to this point and you have experiences, you really appreciate each other so much," she shared. "And so, it’s just lovely to have found my person. I think that’s so cheesy. Like, everyone would always say, 'You just know when you know,' and I just knew with Ellis. He’s such an incredible man, and it’s been just a really fun, fun adventure chapter in our lives."

Amy said that she and Ellis have given some thought to what they want their future together to look like and whether or not that includes starting a family. "I’m [at] this point where, if I had a child, it would be a great blessing, but if I didn’t have a child, I wouldn’t feel like I’m leaving something on the table in life," Amy shared. "We did pre-marital counseling, and we decided we’re gonna spend one year just as husband and wife before we make a decision, yes or no — and who knows at that point? Like, I may not even have any eggs in there."

Amy also noted that she and Ellis "are not actively trying" for a family at this time because they are enjoying just spending time with each other right now. "We’re really loving this adventure, just hop in the car and go, and living footloose and fancy free, just he and I," she said. "For me, I have so many kids in my life to love on that I wouldn’t feel like I’m missing out if I don’t have my own."

Ellis didn't know Amy during her time on Below Deck and has actually never seen an episode in which she appeared. But he got to learn a little bit more about her TV past as she prepared to dish on Season 8 with brother Kelley as a cast member on Below Deck Galley Talk, which airs Fridays at 8/7c on Bravo.

Amy said that she has appreciated Ellis' curiosity about the yachting industry while watching this season of Below Deck together, such as when he asked about the fenders we see hanging off of My Seanna. "He’s not very familiar, and it was so precious. Like, his questions are adorable because it’s just from a perspective that, A, has no experience in the industry [and], B, hasn’t watched Below Deck before," Amy said. "So, it was really funny to watch it with him and hear all his questions."

Though some of her experiences on Below Deck may be difficult to relive, Amy said that there's nothing she would be worried about Ellis seeing. "Gosh, I think back to Season 2, just the hard time I had sometimes with the interior team and my crying. I think he would be like, 'What in the world,' you know? Protective," she shared. "I think sometimes back to those moments that were cringey or hard for me to watch were also just real. So, I feel like I’ll be proud for him to watch it. It’s not like there’s anything embarrassing or that sorta thing."

So, Amy said that she "wouldn’t be against him watching it." However, she also shared that Ellis has a very good reason for not needing to see those past episodes of Below Deck: "He’s like, 'I get the real thing in real life. Why do I need to watch you on TV?'"

Want more Below Deck? New episodes air every Monday at 9/8c or catch up on every episode ever through the Bravo app.