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Credit: Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock
Jennifer Pedranti and her boyfriend, Ryan Boyajian, are engaged after nearly four years of dating.
Following a cast trip to London with the ladies of The Real Housewives of Orange County, Jennifer, 46, flew to one of her and Ryan’s “favorite spots,” the Baha Mar resort in the Bahamas, where Ryan surprised her with a proposal during a walk on the beach last Thursday.
“We’re both super stoked and couldn’t be happier,” Jennifer told PEOPLE on April 15. “We always say that our love is a gift, and this just feels like the icing on the cake.”
“This is a magical time for us,” she added. “I really am the luckiest girl in the world.”
Looking back at his decision to propose to Jennifer at the Baha Mar resort, Ryan said that he chose the location because it was somewhere they often vacation as a family.
“It was important for me to do it in a spot that means something to us,” Ryan explained. “Now we’ll always be able to go right there in the little perch of sand by the staircase and remember this milestone together.”
“It feels so special that this happened while we were in our happy place,” Jennifer agreed.
While Jennifer and Ryan had discussed tying the knot before, Jennifer confirmed she was “shocked” when her partner got down on one knee.
“He pulled me in, and I said to him, ‘Are you doing something?’ And the second he got down in the sand, I don’t even remember what he said because I was so surprised,” she shared. “It was absolutely amazing.”
Before the proposal, Ryan got the blessing of Jennifer’s parents and brothers.
“That for me was a super special day because the conversations are something that I’ll never forget with the four of them,” he said.
As for the ring, which boasts over five carats of diamonds, Ryan designed the cushion-cut stunner, which he bought two years ago, with the help of Enalie Jewelers in Mission Viejo, California.
“This is the second marriage for Ryan and I, so we would talk about, ‘Oh, maybe if we get married one day, we’ll just do a small tattoo on our left ring finger where only we know what it means,’” Jennifer shared. “And then this guy proposes with a ring that just knocks my socks off.”
Jennifer began dating Ryan in September 2020 after splitting from her first husband, William Pedranti. And while their divorce is still ongoing, that hasn’t stopped her and Ryan from considering their upcoming wedding, which could take place at the same location as their engagement.
“I don’t think Ryan nor myself are looking for some big celebration,” Jennifer revealed. “We just got engaged, so obviously we’re just enjoying that and not planning anything concrete, but I can see us doing it on one of these trips where all of our kids are with us on the sand. Something small, just family and friends.”
“If I had my way, it would be [the] same way you saw the proposal picture: It’d be a bikini and board shorts and all of our kids,” Ryan posed.
“I don’t know about that,” Jennifer replied.
In the meantime, Jennifer and Ryan are enjoying their engagement and each other.
“I say this all the time. I am so prioritized,” Jennifer gushed over their romance. “He communicates everything with me. And he is my best friend. I get to do life with my best friend.”
“We do life together,” Ryan noted. “She is a combination of not only the strongest woman I’ve ever met, not only the most loving woman I’ve ever met, but an absolutely amazing mom and a lover of not just people in her own circle, but of people in general. I’ve never met someone who radiates so much love and true, genuine care for everyone.”
Jennifer and Ryan have a total of seven children between them, including Cole, 20, Harrison, 20, Tyler, 18, Dawson, 17, Greyson, 15, Everleigh, 13, and Dominic, 10.
The Real Housewives of Orange County season 18 is expected to premiere on Bravo sometime later this year.
