Zooey Deschanel on What Jonathan Scott Did on First Date to Prove He's the One: ‘This Is My Dream’ (Exclusive)

PEOPLE spoke to the couple about how the romance started, four years ago

A first date doesn’t always determine that a couple is meant to be. But Zooey Deschanel knew Jonathan Scott was the one because of one simple moment the first time they got together.

The Property Brothers host and New Girl alum, who got engaged in August, told PEOPLE in this week's cover story about the fateful dinner — followed by a wine-fueled escape room and karaoke.

“We went on our first date. I had actually never done an escape room, and he kept telling me how much he liked them,” Deschanel, 43, tells PEOPLE. “It sounded very much up my alley and I loved it right away. I mean, I wasn't good at the first one to be honest, but I've gotten pretty proficient.”

But what made Deschanel feel as though their romance was truly destined? Scott’s meticulous planning.

Related: Jonathan Scott and Zooey Deschanel Share Their Unlikely Love Story: ‘We’re from Different Worlds’ (Exclusive)

“The very first date we went on, you were impressed because I sent you a schedule,” Scott, 45, recalls.

“I was like, ‘Oh my God. He sent me an itinerary. This is like my dream.’ I'm a Capricorn, so…” she adds.

Unfortunately the order of events had an unintended side effect.

“Don't have wine before an escape room,” Deschanel jokes. "It's always better to do the escape room first and then go to dinner and have a little bit of wine. The wine, it's not great for the brain."

"Tipsy escape rooming is not very successful,” Scott adds.

The date continued with a karaoke session, which was reminiscent of their first meeting on the set of Carpool Karaoke alongside their famous siblings: Zooey's sister, Bones actress Emily Deschanel, and Jonathan's twin and HGTV co-star, Drew Scott.

“it was like a recurring theme of these things,” Scott says.

Related: How Zooey Deschanel Found a 'Renewed Passion' for TV Acting After 'New Girl' Burnout

Four years after their meetcute, Scott popped the question in August 2023 during a family vacation to Scotland, alongside Deschanel’s two children from her previous marriage: daughter Elsie, 8, and son Charlie, 6.

Related: Zooey and Emily Deschanel: All About the Sisters and Their Family

Deschanel told PEOPLE that she didn't expect Scott to propose.

"Clueless. I was clueless," she recalls.

When it happened, Scott made it so the couple and two kids were the last visitors at Scotland's Edinburgh Castle. A bagpipe band had been performing, but when the music changed, Deschanel recalls, she thought "I think something’s happening."

A guitarist started playing Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon,” which is “a special song" for her and Scott.

"I didn't want to decide what was happening until I knew," she explains — before the kids pulled out a banner that read: "Zooey, will you marry me?"

And that's when she said "yes."

For all the details on Zooey Deschanel and Jonathan Scott 's life as a blended family and their new dream home, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday. 

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