Former The Bachelorette star Michelle Young is getting her happily ever after as she says “Yes!” to now-fiancé Jack Leius.
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Young revealed that Leius pulled off an incredibly sweet proposal at Centennial Lakes in Edina, Minnesota, on Oct. 24. She was under the impression that she would be filming a commercial.
“I was really excited when I found I had the opportunity to shoot with one of my favorite brands for the second time,” she told PEOPLE.
However, it turns out that Leius had teamed up with Young’s management team to set up the fake photoshoot. He even arranged for The Bachelorette contestant to sign a fake contract and be given a script for the commercial.
After finishing her hair and makeup, she made her way to “the set.” A florist, who posed as an employee of the brand, guided her down to a set of stairs to “check in with the photographer and videographer.”
Instead of greeting the film crew, Leius was the only person there.
“I completely froze when I saw Jack standing in the middle of this beautiful flower arch of white roses,” Young declared. “I was fooled so badly that for a moment, I thought the joke was that Jack was one of the male models that I would be working with at the shoot.”
Although she’s used to predicting some big surprises, Young admitted she didn’t see the proposal coming.
“I’ve always had a very strong intuition and could see surprises from miles away,” she explained. “Even since I was little. I hadn’t even slightly sensed this was happening today.”
Michelle Young Recalled Struggling to Respond When Jack Leius Proposed
While continuing to share more details about the proposal, Michelle Young admitted she struggled to respond when Jack Leius popped the question.
“[I remember asking] Why are you here? Are you the other model? Aren’t you supposed to be in a meeting right now?” she said.
That was when Leius reached into his pocket and got down on one knee. He was holding a gorgeous ring that featured a 3.56-carat emerald-cut diamond.
“I tried to say yes several times,” Young continued. “But was in shock that no words really came out. There were a lot of happy tears, and of course, I said YES!”
Leius also told PEOPLE that the proposal had “really tested” his acting skills. “The biggest worry for me was that her intuition really does catch on to everything,” he shared. “There were so many moments we crossed that we thought she might catch on.”
Young and Leius announced their relationship in October 2023 through Instagram. They then attended their first public event, Golden Bachelor stars Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist’s wedding in January.
Young was previously engaged to sales executive Nayte Olukoya, whom she met during season 18 of The Bachelorette. They ended their engagement in June 2022.