After five years of dating, three-time Olympic gold medalist Shaun White popped the question to his now-fiancée, actress Nina Dobrev.
On Wednesday, the couple revealed their engagement on Instagram, with each making a separate post to commemorate the special moment.
The couple got engaged at The Golden Swan restaurant in New York City, where the former Olympic snowboarder set up a candle-lit pathway to an archway of white roses.
White initially planned to pop the question over the summer during vacation, but it was delayed because of a dirt bike accident that caused the “Vampire Diaries” star to injure her knee.
White went back and forth on planning, according to Vogue. He originally planned to ask Dobrev in November when the couple traveled to Cape Town for the Earthshot Prize ceremony. Dobrev’s friends anticipated the engagement in South Africa, but White wanted the perfect surprise.
He bought Dobrev a five-carat Lorraine Schwartz diamond ring to ask for her hand. White continuously had to relocate the ring throughout their home to prevent Dobrev from finding it.
Days before the proposal, Dobrev expressed she hadn’t been feeling well and wanted to rest before traveling to South Africa. White didn’t reschedule the engagement, however.
According to Vogue, White had his publicist send Dobrev a fake invitation to a CFDA/Vogue dinner with Anna Wintour at the New York City restaurant. She opened the door to find White standing under the arch with a photographer.
“I went into shock. I just froze and stared at him,” Dobrev said.
Once she said yes, the couple was joined by their friends, who celebrated until 1 a.m.
“Eventually we realized, other than the caviar, we hadn’t eaten anything. So we ordered Shake Shack and dumplings to The Golden Swan,” Dobrev said.
White retired from snowboarding in 2022 after the Beijing Games.
