Cole Swindell Engaged to Courtney Little: 'I Couldn't Wait Any Longer' (Exclusive)
The country star proposed Sunday evening at the location of the couple's first date
Cole Swindell's single Saturday nights are over.
The country singer, who is nominated for five awards at the 58th ACM Awards, got down on one knee and proposed to girlfriend Courtney Little on Sunday at the location of their first date — a farm north of Nashville, Tennessee. She said yes!
"It's hard to put into words how happy I am," Swindell, 39, told PEOPLE. "I feel like I'm very fortunate to be where I am in my career, but I feel like I've missed out on a lot of real-life moments. I'm just glad to have somebody to share everything with. She makes me better, and I'm the happiest I've ever been in all parts of my life."
Swindell proposed with an oval diamond ring that he designed with the help of Simon Tekin at Ballantyne Jewelers in Charlotte, North Carolina, near Little's hometown. Getting Little, 24, and the ring to the out-of-the-way location required Swindell to plan extensively.
The "She Had Me at Heads Carolina" singer spoke to Little's father about his intentions a few weeks ago.
"That's probably the most nervous I've ever been because he's such a great man," Swindell said of his soon-to-be father-in-law. "I can't wait to be part of her family. She comes from a good one, and that's what made that so nerve-wracking. I can't imagine being a dad of a daughter and having that conversation."
After he received the family's blessing, Swindell pondered proposal locations. He considered popping the question in Dallas this week during festivities leading up to the 58th ACM Awards. However, he opted for the farm because of their connection to the location. The couple's first date was Swindell's "Some Habits" video shoot — in which Little starred — and was shot on the farm.
Swindell asked a representative of Ballantyne Jewelers to fly to Nashville to hand-deliver the ring because he was worried about the all-important diamond getting lost in transport. Ballantyne Jewelers obliged, and Swindell battled intensive traffic for Nashville's third Taylor Swift stadium show to pick it up in the downtown area known as The Gulch on Sunday morning.
"It looked like she was playing acoustic pop-up shows outside of restaurants or something," Swindell commented. "There were lines all over the place. And I was like, 'This is not what I envisioned coming.' I was trying to get down there early to get it before all that, but I did not miss any of it."
When Swindell came up with the idea to propose on the farm, he ran the concept by Little's sister Laura, who thought the location would be perfect. Then the couple got on his tour bus Sunday afternoon to ride to Dallas for the rehearsals leading up to the ACM Awards. Swindell told Little they were stopping for dinner to ensure she was dressed. But instead of heading south to Dallas, the bus turned north toward Orlinda. He hoped for a stunning sunset, but rain flooded the Nashville area all afternoon. When the coach pulled over on the gravel road, Swindell imagines his fiancée thought the bus broke down.
The weather subsided long enough for Swindell to lead Little — who owns The Little Sisters Boutique with Laura — off the bus and onto the gravel road.
"She recognized the location," he told PEOPLE. "She probably knew what was going on then. I took her hand and walked for what felt like a long time. It probably wasn't but a minute or so."
Swindell asked Little if she remembered the place, and he told her how special the location would always be to him.
"At that point, I couldn't wait any longer," he said. "I found a little spot right there off the side of the gravel drive in the field and hit a knee."
The singer joked they both were so excited they blacked out and didn't remember what they said to each other.
"We're both trying to remember everything," he said.
Swindell asked his photographer to hide in the field and take photos of the proposal, which he did. Then the couple returned to the farmhouse, where they tried to create some of their earliest photos together at the video shoot.
"I put the ring on her finger, and we've been all smiles ever since," he said.
Swindell recently released the deluxe version of his album Stereotype, called Stereotype Broken. He will also perform Thursday on the 58th ACM Awards, which will air live on Amazon Prime.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.
