Congrats are in order for former “Bachelorette” star Kaitlyn Bristowe and her new fiancé, Jason Tartick.
ET has exclusively learned that Tartick, 32, proposed to Bristowe, 35, in Nashville, Tennessee, Monday afternoon, and now we’re sharing all the details and adorable first-look photos from their engagement. “It was everything I could have asked for,” Kaitlyn gushed to ET’s Rachel Smith on Tuesday. “The words that came out of his mouth were insanely beautiful. We’ve never locked eyes like that in our lives. We were holding hands, so intense, and I was listening to his every word, but still blacked out.”
The newly engaged couple revealed that the proposal went down while they were filming an episode of Bristowe’s “Off the Vine” podcast together. The bride-to-be was told she would be interviewing a special surprise guest, but found out around the 30-minute mark that that was not happening.
“Jason’s like, ‘Kaitlyn, we’re not doing a podcast.’ And I’m like, ‘You forgot to hit record, didn’t you!’” Bristowe recalled, laughing. “He was like, ‘No, this is something else,’ and he got up and I saw him bring out a ring box from the drawer.”
“I was trying to be present but I was so overwhelmed, and I was so embarrassed, because I was wearing a T-shirt that said, ‘Tequila for Breakfast,’” she added. “I was like, ‘This feels very on brand, but also very inappropriate!’”
In the stunning engagement shots, photographed by Stephanie Sorenson, Bristowe and Tartick — who first started dating in early 2019 — couldn’t seem to contain their excitement over the happy news. In one of the pics, the brunette beauty, chic in a white top, flashed her massive ring to the cameras, placing her other hand around her fiancé’s shoulders.
The two then changed into more formal wear, for a gorgeous photo of Tartick kissing Bristowe on the cheek and celebrating with a glass of champagne. “It was really special,” Bristowe marveled.
As for that stunning, 5.09-carat sparkler? Tartick told ET that the oval-shaped ring is from Paris Jewellers, a small Canadian business right outside the town where Bristowe was born.
“I had an idea of the kind of cut she wanted, but other than that, it was kind of just, like, go,” he shared. “They are great owners and they put so much effort into [making it]. They even took designs from Kaitlyn’s dresses, and red carpets, to see what she likes, like working lace in, because she wears a lot of lace. They gave it a Kaitlyn, kind of like an edgy feel, but still classic.”
“I love it, it’s perfect. I’ve been staring at it all day,” added Bristowe, who confessed that she had “zero” clue the proposal was coming. “Luckily I got my nails done the day before, but these are some funky nails!”
Tartick shared that he had originally planned to propose in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, where they’re headed this week for a vacation, and to spend time with Bristowe’s mother and stepdad. The Canada native was unable to see her mother the past year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Tartick told ET that concerns over bringing the ring through customs resulted in a “quick adjustment” to his plans.
“I really did think a Jason way of doing it would have been something extravagant and really big. I actually thought he was going to do it maybe in Mexico, on the beach, and I would have saw it coming,” Bristowe admitted. “I really wanted it to be intimate, so I loved that it was just during our podcast.”
Breaking the news to her Instagram followers on Tuesday, Bristowe captioned a series of pics, “Don’t pinch me.”
“Choosing your forever is the most important decision in the world,” Tartick, who also previously appeared on The Bachelorette, added in his own post. “@kaitlynbristowe you made that decision so easy! Love you to death and forever.”
Bristowe and Tartick first connected after he appeared on her “Off the Vine” podcast in fall 2018. The “Bachelorette” alum has previously spoken about how he made it a point to give Bristowe her space and not rush into things, so that she could fully heal and move on from her breakup from Shawn Booth. (Bristowe and Booth announced they ended their engagement in November 2018, three years after he proposed to her during season 11 of “The Bachelorette”.)
Tartick and Bristowe eventually went on their first date in January 2019, and by June 2019, they announced that they had moved into a house together in Nashville… and even adopted a dog! “We’re doing it all at once. We’re learning how we parent… so it’s a crash course,” Tartick told ET at the time. “And it’s going well.”
The couple also spoke about the idea of getting engaged in a June 2019 interview with ET, adding that they had already discussed potential names for their future kids.
“I zoomed in on [Lauren Bushnell’s] ring and I was like, ‘Look, it’s the exact one I want!’” Bristowe said at the time. “That’s why we moved in together, because we were just so ready to take the next step. We just have, again, the confidence in our relationship to take the next step, where now that’s naturally something we talk about anyways.”
The pair expanded their family with another dog in December 2019, and six months later, Bristowe was convinced that Tartick was going to propose on TV.
It all happened while she and Tartick were catching up with Chris Harrison on “The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons — Ever!” At one point, Tartick reached into his pocket, which had Bristowe thinking he was going to pull out a ring. Spoiler alert: it was just his AirPods!
Tune into Entertainment Tonight on Tuesday (check your local listings here) for Bristowe and Tartick’s first interview as an engaged couple.
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