Chase Stokes 'Cried the Whole Time' During Kelsea Ballerini's First Headlining Show in Her Hometown

"She's given me a little yee-haw," Stokes said of the country singer

Chase Stokes can’t stop gushing about his girlfriend Kelsea Ballerini!

On Monday, while on the red carpet for the 2023 CFDA Fashion Awards in New York, PEOPLE spoke to the Outer Banks actor, 31, about the “Love Me Like You Mean It” singer, 30.

Stokes opened up about not only seeing the Mascot, Tennessee native perform in her hometown for her Heartfirst Tour, but also headlining the show.

“I’m still recouping my hearing from how loud it was … for her to go back to her hometown and to sell out an arena, like that stage — it was the coolest thing. I cried the whole time,” he tells PEOPLE.

Stokes then shared how special it was to see her accomplish her dreams in front of her family.

“Her mom was there and her sister was there, her family was there," he says. "It’s a magical moment when you see somebody who at 12 years old wanted to have this dream and then to go back to her hometown and do exactly what she set out to do — I mean there’s no way to be more proud."

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Stokes walked the carpet in a steel blue two-piece suit for the special occasion.

“She’s given me a little yee-haw,” the Tell Me Your Secrets star says about the country singer when asked how Ballerini has impacted his style. “I’m not gonna lie, I grew up in the South, so she’s definitely brought it out.”

Stokes admits he enjoys going places with Ballerini after the two made their red carpet debut together in April at the CMT Music Awards.

“It’s been fun, and being able to do events together, get dressed up together for stuff — it’s been a blast,” he tells PEOPLE, adding that they’ve equally played a part in “influencing each other” when it comes to their style.

The two have grown so close that they’ve started to “unintentionally” coordinate clothing.

“Everybody thought the VMAs was coordinated but that was a look that I was gonna wear for something else, and then I missed my flight so I couldn’t wear that,” Stokes told PEOPLE, noting that it was “kinda cool” that her attire ended up matching his jacket.

For the Between Waves actor, the two have become “sort of serendipitous.”

During the summer, Stokes took time from filming the latest season of Outer Banks in Charleston, South Carolina to surprise Ballerini in Seattle.

When the “Miss Me More” singer got off her plane, Stokes was waiting for her on the tarmac near a black car.

Related: Kelsea Ballerini Shares Sweet Photos from Her Caribbean Vacation with Chase Stokes: 'What a Trip'

The couple first sparked dating rumors in January after Stokes posted a cuddly photo of them together at the Georgia vs. TCU game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

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