Clare Crawley Reflects on 'Unexpected' Engagement as She Reveals Sweet Reason for Wanting 2 Weddings
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Clare Crawley is looking back on her surprise engagement to fiancé Ryan Dawkins — and sharing more about her plans for their upcoming nuptials.
On Wednesday's episode of The Ben and Ashley I. Almost Famous Podcast, Crawley, 41 spoke to hosts Trista Sutter and Bob Guiney about her recent engagement.
"It was literally the most unexpected thing, we were just living our life doing our thing and here we are!" Crawley gushed.
The former hairstylist and reality star said she had "no clue" the engagement was coming, despite having discussed the matter with Dawkins, 47, ahead of time.
"Our life together just felt so natural, and it's been the same for a while, so to me, it was just going on a trip," she explained.
Dawkins got down on one knee at the RiSE Festival earlier this month during a romantic lantern release in which they were among the more than 7,000 attendees.
"I kept trying to drop hints to see because I was like, 'This is the most beautiful festival,'" Crawley recalled, noting that she also asked Dawkins before the festival if she should get her nails done or do her hair.
Instead, Crawley said Dawkins told her not to worry. "He's just like, 'Do you, babe,'" she said with a laugh, while also jokingly chastising her fiancé for not telling her to "at least put on waterproof mascara."
Crawley also said her beau didn't want to make it obvious that he was about to propose, explaining "I only like surprises when I don't know its happening, if that makes sense." She added that she was "totally" surprised, "completely."
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Dawkins met Crawley during a trying time in her life. The former reality star was previously engaged to her Bachelorette costar Dale Moss, and what followed were two very public breakups. At the same time, Crawley's mother was also hospitalized amid her battle with dementia and Alzheimer's.
Speaking about their wedding plans on the podcast, Crawley said she wants "a very simple wedding" — but intends on having two ceremonies.
"We want two weddings. I want one because my mom is not able to travel... and to be around a lot of people is overwhelming for her," she said, adding that she and Dawkins plan on having a "special moment with her" in "a small, intimate ceremony."
"He knows how much my mom means to me and how important she is in our lives. He wants her to be there for the wedding, and time is precious and time is limited, so we want one with her — just a small intimate thing," Crawley later said, adding that their other ceremony would possibly be a destination wedding and include Dawkins' two daughters.
In addition to their wedding plans, Crawley's mom was also taken into consideration for the proposal.
"No one knows this, but we have actually three proposals," Crawley revealed. "He proposed to me at the RiSE Festival. Then we came back to Sacramento and he — this makes me want to cry every time — he asked my mom for her blessing again and got down on a knee again and in front of my mom proposed to me again, so she can be there for it, which is super sweet."
The former Bachelorette star also said the couple considers themselves "very progressive people" so she also proposed to him.
"I didn't get down on one knee — but I proposed to him as well, so if people see him with a ring on his finger it's because I proposed to him," she shared. "He was like, 'If you get to wear a ring, why don't I get to wear a ring?'"
Clare Crawley/Instagram
Crawley — who said her first date with Dawkins was in September 2021 — has kept her relationship close. The hairdresser and Dawkins went Instagram-official last month when she shared a video of them laughing and kissing in a car with a pink heart and the simple caption: "Him."
She also shared the clip on her Instagram Story with an additional caption describing Dawkins as "my perfect match."
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Following their engagement earlier this month, Crawley spoke to PEOPLE about her fiancé's response to her mother's illness when they first started dating.
"[Ryan and I] met last year and we were friends. I told him my mom's in the hospital, I just went through a breakup [and] I can't even eat right now and he said that's okay let's grab a tea and go on a walk," she told PEOPLE exclusively.
"I was going through such healing and so much pain in my heart, and he was there," she added. "He's the most amazing guy. He would drive an hour and a half three times a week just to go on a walk with me. He was there in my darkest moments and it makes me so happy that he's here celebrating the light."
Crawley said she was "over the moon" about the unexpected engagement, especially after the journey she's been on for the past year.
"Ryan has been by my side since the very beginning," she said. "He is so consistent and so vocal about how much he loves me. It is something I have never experienced. ... It's been such a gift having him in my life."
