Joan Rivers’ Daughter Melissa Is Engaged! Here’s How Fiancé Steve Mitchel Pulled Off the Surprise Proposal

The actress and television host was so distracted, she even didn't realize her boyfriend was popping the question.

Congratulations are in order because Melissa Rivers is getting ready to say “I do.” The actress and television host and the only child of late comedian Joan Rivers—who passed away in 2014—got engaged to Steve Mitchel on October 13, 2023, People reported. “It’s a big step for both of us, and I’m still in complete and total shock—even a month later—but beyond happy. And more importantly, my mom would have approved of the ring. Oh year, and of Steve, too!”

The proposal took place at the One & Only Mandarina Resort in Mexico, where the pair was enjoying a getaway. While the two of them were having dinner on the beach, a boat, which was repeatedly flashing its lights, caught Melissa’s eye. “Steve told me he loved me and wanted to spend the rest of his life with me,” she recounted. “I told him the same, but I wasn’t even looking at him—I was so concentrated on this boat. He finally said, annoyed, ‘I got you something.’” That’s when Melissa turned around and saw the engagement ring—a custom piece designed by Melissa’s friend Peter McNeal at McNeal and Grunberg—sitting on the table.

Related: A Guide to Designing and Creating a Custom Engagement Ring

Per People, the couple first met at a Didi Hirsch Mental Health and Suicide Prevention event a year and a half ago. “I’m the co-chairman of the board,” Melissa explained. “He was there as a friend’s plus one. It’s not often that a total stranger comes up to me and just starts talking.”

Melissa, who was previously married to John Endicott from 1998 to 2003, swore she’d never tie the knot again—until she crossed paths with Mitchel. “All of my friends are joking that I had a pretty good run and almost got to the finish line of staying single for the rest of my life,” she joked. “It’s something that I never believed in my heart of hearts that I would ever do, but apparently, hell freezes over and pigs do fly.”

Her commitment to staying single meant that the proposal came as a complete surprise. “I didn’t see it coming, and it’s really not easy to pull a fast one on me,” she said. “Once Steve shoved some smelling salt under my nose from passing out, I said ‘yes.’”

For now, Melissa and Mitchel are basking in the bliss of being newly engaged, so they aren’t hosting their wedding any time soon. “We’re taking baby steps,” Melissa shared. “We haven’t planned anything yet. If we do a ceremony and party, I can’t imagine it being any time before 2025. I can guarantee it will be nothing like my first wedding or anything on that level.”

Up Next: All of the Celebrity Engagements of 2023

Read the original article on Brides.