Becca Kufrin Says Engagement to Thomas Jacobs 'Feels Right' After Previous One That 'Felt Weird'

Second time's the charm for Becca Kufrin.

After splitting from fiancé Garrett Yrigoyen — who she got engaged to during the finale of her season of The Bachelorette in 2018 — Kufrin, 32, headed to Bachelor in Paradise last summer and met Thomas Jacobs.

Last month, Kufrin announced her proposal to Jacobs, 29 — and now, she's opening up to PEOPLE about their engagement and why, this time around, it "feels right."

"It feels like we can live in it and actually celebrate it," the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast co-host says. "Before, there was so much publicity and attention that it just felt weird. It felt off in the past."

"Whereas this one, it really feels like it fits us and it's more quiet and intimate," she adds.

Kufrin says both her engagement and breakup with Yrigoyen, 33, received a lot of attention from Bachelor Nation. While she understands the fandom, she also wishes that people would've been more understanding about her situation.

"I wish people would've been more respectful of my time and privacy," she says of going through the public breakup. "I wish people would have butted out a lot more."

Thomas Jacobs Instagram

RELATED: Thomas Jacobs Says It's 'The Biggest Compliment' That Becca Kufrin Proposed

"Who thinks that they have to make a breakup statement that thousands or millions of people will see? That's not something I ever planned on doing in my life," she continues. "But I did sign up for the TV show to put part of my life out there. I just wish that people would realize not everything is fair game for the public."

Another aspect of Kufrin's life that has received mixed feedback was her recent gender role-reversed proposal — but the former Bachelorette says it hasn't stopped her and Jacobs from enjoying the moment.

"We've still been able to enjoy everything and roll with the punches and disregard all of the nasty comments out there," Kufrin explains.

The newly-engaged couple celebrated their one-year anniversary of meeting on Paradise earlier this week. To mark the occasion, they headed to one of their favorite restaurants, where they set up "a little picnic on the beach" and watched the sunset.

"There's so many exciting things happening in our life with obviously the engagement and home buying, so we're trying to keep it pretty mellow," Kufrin says.

Craig Sjodin/ABC via Getty

Speaking to her decision to propose, Kufrin says she hopes it will empower future Bachelorettes to do the same with their suitors on the ABC reality show.

"I hope that if any female on the show wants to propose to a man, hell yeah, go for it!" she says. "I definitely want to see the option of having men's engagement rings on the show. For so long, they've brought the beautiful extravagant diamonds for the women from Neil Lane, but I hope he's making some men's rings, too."

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The Bachelorette will switch things up a bit with its upcoming season, as it will feature two female leads for the first time.

Kufrin understands why fans have mixed feelings about both Rachel Recchia and Gabby Windey sharing the spotlight, but wants the Bachelorettes to be able to rely on one another during the process.

"To be able to have somebody to lean on, to offer advice and to ask for advice, I think that's special," Kufrin notes. "But I also wish that they still have their own time and energy that is dedicated to each of them. I hope that they both find a partnership and what they went on the show to find, which is love."

Craig Sjodin via Getty; Paul Hebert via Getty; Craig Sjodin via Getty

RELATED: Andi Dorfman Says She Doesn't 'Love' Having Two Bachelorette Leads: It Feels 'a Little Sexist'

Kufrin also realizes that having Recchia, 26, and Windey, 31, choose from the same group of men could cause competition between the women.

"I hope that there's no animosity and no pitting of woman against women on the season," the Minnesota native continues. "I hope the drama stays between the contestants and not the women themselves."

And now that the series has cast two women as leads on The Bachelorette, Kufrin urges ABC to have two men lead an upcoming season of The Bachelor. "I think it's all about equality," she says.

RELATED VIDEO: Becca Kufrin Says Thomas Jacobs Jokingly Proposed to Her with a Paper Clip Ring

Looking ahead, Kufrin says she'd like to see a female host return to the reality dating show at some point.

"I would love to see that once again, just because they can add a different side of things," she explains. "I know that Jesse Palmer currently is hosting and I think he does a great job, but I would like to see more diversity in that regard."

Through her own journey with the franchise, Kufrin says she has learned to "ask the hard-hitting questions and to really make sure I find somebody who was aligned with my morals and values, which I luckily was able to do in Paradise with Thomas."

"It's crazy to think that I went from being engaged from the show to going through a very public breakup, to then going on another show which I never thought I would do, to now finding my partner on the show and being engaged once again," Kufrin shares. "It's been a wild ride."

Despite that, Kufrin notes, "I wouldn't have changed anything because it all got me to this place and led me to my partnership with Thomas."