How Nick Viall Roped Tom Hanks into His Proposal to Fiancée Natalie Joy: 'He Got a Kick Out of It'

Nick Viall went to great lengths to create a surprise proposal for his now-fiancée Natalie Joy.

On Thursday's episode of Viall's podcast The Viall Files, the former Bachelor lead, 42, revealed he told Joy they were going to a screening of the new Tom Hanks film, A Man Called Otto, before popping the question.

"My whole idea of even faking an event was I wanted her to get glam," he explained. "I knew she wanted to look nice and special."

He continued, "I had to figure out how to make sure she got glam and it had to be some sort of special event."

Viall shared that Hanks, 66, eventually found out about his grand plan, adding, "I guess he got a kick out of it."

Sarah Partain

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Once they arrived at the venue, Viall had more tricks up his sleeve to make sure Joy didn't realize he was about to propose.

"I don't want her to show up to this event and have her be like, 'This is weird. This isn't a premiere,'" he said. "So we had extras… When we showed up to this event, they were already in line."

He added that his publicist told Joy that it was an "immersive experience" so people go in one at a time. Once inside the venue, Joy shared how she was surprised to see bright lights, a videographer and a photographer.

"I'm like, 'What the f—?'" she recalled. "Then there's 200 candles lit and laid across the warehouse floor and then a TV at the end. It turns on and it's Nick talking to me and he's telling me to walk through the walkway, stand in the middle of the center."

"At the end of the video it's like, 'Now if you'll just look up...' and I look up and he's walking down the steps," Joy added. "He steps into the circle with me and he just says, 'Hey, baby.' I said, 'Hey.' He said, 'Are you ready?'"

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Then, it was finally time for Viall to pop the question.. "And then I said a couple of things down on one knee," he said.

The celebration was hardly over for the pair, who were then joined by friends and family for an engagement party.

"Walking into that party and seeing my mom there, I lost it," Joy said. "I was just so filled with joy and happiness. All the people who flew out and came together to celebrate us was such a beautiful thing that I just couldn't control my emotions. Throughout that entire party, I'm just screaming and I'm so happy."

"This is how I always wanted to feel," Viall added. "It's how I've always imagined I would feel... I am deliriously happy in life. Truly."

Sarah Partain

RELATED: Nick Viall and Natalie Joy's Relationship Timeline

Viall and Joy were first linked in 2020, but they didn't start sharing their relationship publicly until 2021.

As their bond continued to progress in a more serious direction, Viall said he "wouldn't be in a relationship with" Joy if he "didn't think it was possible" to marry her someday. He then revealed on the PEOPLE Every Day podcast last year that "everyone's situation is different" when it comes to marriage.

"I think sometimes timelines can be a little bit dangerous about, you know, setting false expectations and reaching to a certain timeline and all of a sudden ... [you] have other priorities," he explained. "I just kind of tell people to just be careful about setting timelines. If they wanna set a time, it's great, just make sure it's mutual."

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The big day finally came for the pair last Thursday when they announced that they were engaged in a joint Instagram post.

"For the rest of my life, it's you," they wrote in the caption of the post, which featured a handful of photos from the couple's engagement and close-up shots of Joy's custom 5-carat engagement ring from Brilliant Earth.

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In a follow-up post, Viall said of his journey to love: "Many of us have hoped our path to love should to be clean, pure, and without disappointment. I have been that person. In reality, for many of us, our path to love is messy, dirty, and full of heartbreak. I consider myself truly blessed and lucky to have lived through the mess, so I can fully appreciate what I have in this moment."

"@nnataliejjoy, to me your are perfect," he continued. "You're a protector of the people you love. Your heart outshines your incredible beauty. You radiate joy, and bring so many smiles to those you get to be in your presence. I promise to wake up everyday and choose you, us, and our family. Forever"