Bachelor Star Cassie Randolph Is Engaged to Musician Brighton Reinhardt! ‘I Was Completely Caught Off Guard’ tram

Cassie Randolph is engaged to Brighton Reinhardt!

The Bachelor Nation star, 29, revealed exclusively to PEOPLE that the musician popped the question at one of her favorite California local spots — and it caught her by total surprise!

The proposal went down during what she thought was a pre-dinner stroll with her family along the Newport Coast — a historic beachfront complete with restored cottages and stunning coastal views. But she had no idea her soon-to-be fiancé was waiting for her at the last cottage nestled against the cliffs with her new engagement ring.

“When Brighton dropped to a knee and asked ‘Will you marry me?,’ as he opened the box, my reaction was immediately, ‘Oh my gosh, yes!,’ ” Randolph tells PEOPLE.

“I was completely caught off guard,” she adds. “I had no idea.”

In the photos the couple shared, they can be seen celebrating the news on the beach at sunset, with Reinhardt’s arms around Randolph as he lifted her up in joy. A second snap showed the two gazing lovingly at each other as Randolph placed her hand on her fiancé’s cheek with her new engagement ring sparkling on her finger. 

The reality star's close friend Krissy captured the moments on camera and Reinhardt’s family “came out of hiding a few yards away” to congratulate them after the proposal. Both of the soon-to-be bride and groom’s families then celebrated with “an amazing dinner” at nearby A Crystal Cove.

Randolph noted that it couldn’t have been a “more perfect and special evening," though she jokes “the only thing I would have changed is, I wish I did my hair!”

The proposal wasn’t the only thing that was one-of-a-kind. Reinhardt specially designed Randolph’s new 5.04 carat elongated cushion cut engagement ring with the help of her sister Cassie and Lake McGuire at Simply Radiant. 

To make it unique to his future bride, he even added an engraved C inscription alongside her birthstone — which is also a diamond — on the band. 

The couple initially met eight years ago and were friends for about “five years” before they began dating in 2020. Randolph previously opened up about their relationship to PEOPLE in 2021, noting that their friendship in particular “helped make us really strong."

“It was kind of that we were really young and then we just became friends. And that was it for years. We'd hang out with each other's siblings and families and stuff," she said at the time. 

"Last year, we re-connected and it was game over from there," she continued. "He's honestly my best friend, which I think is such a key thing to have in a relationship. ... I feel like I haven't really had [that] before. I feel like we get each other on a different level, especially being friends for so long before. It just made it really natural and easy."

"I love everything about him,” she added.