Southern Charm 's Madison LeCroy Says Fiancé 'Outdid Himself' Choosing Her Blinding Engagement Ring

Before Madison LeCroy's fiancé Brett popped the question with a jaw-dropping engagement ring, the Southern Charm star had one piece of advice for him when he set out to design it — call N.Y.C.-based jeweler Nicole Rose.

"When he originally asked me what my ideal ring looks like, I told him, 'Listen there's just one thing you need to remember, Nicole Rose, you call her and she will help you narrow it down,'" LeCroy tells PEOPLE exclusively.

"I get a lot of jewelry from her and we've become good friends over the years," the Bravo star and hairstylist adds. "She knows my taste."

Madison Lecroy/Instagram

When Brett popped the question on Friday after taking LeCroy and her 8-year-old son Hudson (whom she shares with her ex-husband) on a belated birthday celebration, she only had one reaction. "When I saw it I was like, 'Woah this is way bigger than I would ever expect.' He outdid himself."

The final ring features a round brilliant-cut diamond set in a two tone 18k and platinum setting. When LeCroy asked Brett the carat count, he said it checks in at at over 3.5 carats.

When she caught up with Rose after her surprise proposal, she learned how hands-on Brett had been in the making of the ring. "Nicole told me he was very involved with how this was going to pan out. [He was] very particular and had input. And that makes me really happy that he enjoys it as much as I do."

Jesse Volk

LeCroy announced the news on Amazon Live on Thursday and told PEOPLE earlier in the day that she was "not expecting" the proposal to happen when it did.

"We traveled a lot this summer and I kind of thought it was going to happen around then," she shared.

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Instead, Brett (who stays off social media and prefers not to share his last name) treated her and Hudson to a night out — complete with a limo ride! — and popped the question at home. "The next thing you know we come back home and I'm thinking it's just a birthday dinner, and my son's over here jumping around and I turn around and my fiancé is down on one knee and proposed to me in my living room. It was so intimate. I've been crying like crazy from joy. [I'm] so excited."

Of her decision to announce it via Amazon Live, she said she felt it "was a good outlet for me to express to everyone what's going on with my life." Adding that she's coming out with a hair product line and workout apparel collection that will be sold through Amazon when they debut.

LeCroy and Brett first met back in April and LeCroy says it was love at first sight. She turned to her group of friends and said, "'That's him y'all.' I was like, 'I'm marrying that man. There's something about him that I've never felt before in my entire life.' I knew right then."

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Even though their whirlwind romance was quick, LeCroy is ready for their new chapter. "We haven't been dating a long period of time but we both know what we want and why wait any longer?"

She's taking her time planning the wedding though, hoping to tie the knot next year in an intimate gathering with about 50 or 70 people.

And as for the dress? She knows what she's not going to be wearing. "I definitely don't see myself in anything oversize or pouffy or anything like that. I'm hoping that other people have suggestions when this all comes out. Hopefully I can meet some designers that can let me help make something of my own. I'm excited for the experience, we're just going to enjoy it and let it all ride."