Love Is Blind's Sara Says She Was 'Shocked' by Ben's 'Disrespectful' Response at the Altar, Says He Had 'No Depth'

Sara Carton was taken aback at Ben Mezzenga's response at the altar.

During the Love Is Blind season 8 finale, Sara and Ben made it to their wedding day. But when it came time for the moment of truth, Sara said she couldn't marry her fiancé because she's "always wanted a partner to be on the same wavelength" and Ben was far from that.

However, after telling him she did not want to get married, Ben, 28, offered up another solution: stay with her and continue to "grow" their relationship. Sara appeared caught off guard by his suggestion, awkwardly laughing and telling him, "We'll see."

Now, Sara, 29, tells PEOPLE what she really thought about his response, calling it "disrespectful" and unexpected.

"I was shocked about that," she admits. "Ultimately, me and Ben talked multiple times before the wedding of discussing, is this the safest decision for us? Is this the smartest decision for us? We really need to think about that. And so we were on the same page, and he knew coming in what I was going to say."

"And so when he asked that, I wasn't shocked he wanted to do that or be together still after, but I was shocked he asked that at the altar, knowing the circumstance of we are here to say yes or no," she continues. "And also just with the whole entire concept of you walk away forever, I was like, that's disrespectful, in a way, of what we signed up for and the whole entire point of why we're here. And so I was shocked he asked that there."

Sara also notes that she found Ben's suggestion inappropriate because she didn't think they could backtrack from being fiancés to simply dating again.

"Also, me saying no to a marriage, why would I continue dating someone? If you're going to say no to that, why even continue the relationship?" she says. "That's been a theme of mine where I know in the past, my past relationships, I know that this person isn't my person, but oh, maybe they can change, or maybe there was potential there. I can see us growing together. And I didn't want to continue the cycle of that."

"So I am very happy that I answered in the way that I did with saying, 'We'll see and we'll talk.' Because I didn't want to give an answer," she adds. "My mind, it was not in that setting at all. I just needed to process everything that was happening."

Following the awkward ceremony, Sara opened up to cameras and admitted she was "affected" by Ben failing to think deeply about bigger social issues. She also suspected their love simply might have been "surface [level], fun [and] carefree."

"I want someone to think about that stuff," she said. "There was no curiosity coming from his side... People prove who they are, actions speak louder than words. You can say anything you want, but show me. That would've changed everything if he really showed priority."

Speaking to PEOPLE, Sara doubles down on her beliefs, saying: "The whole entire time, I wasn't looking for a right or wrong answer. I just wanted to have depth and be able to understand one another, where we came from, how we grew up, why are we thinking and having this perception of life and the world and the people around us the way we do. I love having those deep conversations."

"But in the pods, I felt like I was happy with the conversations that we had, that at least they were [received]. [I was] thinking, moving forward, we'll be able to grow with this. But it just never evolved," she admits. "It never really got to that point. And so that's what made me think, okay, actually maybe there's no depth at all."

She adds: "There was no doubt that we had a connection, but just moving forward and having depth in our relationship, I really wasn't getting much from Ben when I was asking him questions... if I was able to have that depth with him, then I think it would've changed things maybe, but it just didn't work."

Despite it all, Sara has no regrets. "Overall, I'm very proud of myself," she says. "For me, you have to have the discussions, especially before an engagement. You have to cross over everything to make sure you have at least a foundation or overall [idea] of who this person is."

"I'm happy having those conversations, and I want to continue having them [with future partners]," she adds. "And also just being open of knowing that the world is very gray and just continue to learn about that."

Love Is Blind season 8 is now streaming on Netflix, and the reunion is set to air on Sunday, March 9 at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.