NFL Star Sony Michel and Fiancée Lulu Rodrigues Discuss Their 'Perfect' Proposal and That Ring!
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Kay Jewelers
NFL champion Sony Michel raised the bar on romantic proposals when he popped the question to fiancée Lulu Rodrigues April 30.
The newly-engaged couple spoke to PEOPLE exclusively to reveal all the romantic details of their engagement.
Michel — who is expecting a daughter with Rodrigues — popped the question at home, surrounded by family and friends, all whom had gathered thinking they were attending a "gender reveal party" for the couple's baby-to-be.
"I wanted to be original and unique," Michel, 27, tells PEOPLE. "They say when you know, you just know, and I think based on our connection, our friendship, and how we deal with each other on a day-to-day basis, I would say I knew that she was the one."
The two-time NFL champion revealed that he'd only finalized his vision for the proposal about an hour before he got down on one knee. "I'd say up until an hour before the proposal was when I finalized the vision for it. There was a part where I had flowers given to Lulu, because I wanted it to be a moment where I was giving Lulu her flowers," Michel says.
"I was thinking of concepts, like, 'Who would be the best person to give her the flowers?'" he recalls. "I had my mom and her mom walk out. My mom had the flowers in her hand, her mom was carrying a box with a note inside of it."
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Michel's romantic vision didn't stop there, though. He had singers on hand to perform the couple's favorite song, "Perfect Duet" by Beyoncé and Ed Sheeran. "I think it came along perfect," he says.
His fiancée agrees. "Honestly, from the very beginning it was perfect," Rodrigues tells PEOPLE. "It was beautiful, Sony took care of everything."
After the couple celebrated the news that they're expecting a baby girl, Michel asked Rodrigues to join him in front of guests. "I got a little nervous because I was like, 'Oh this is happening, I know what he's about to do,'" she explains.
"I was filled with emotions because we got to figure out the gender of our child … Then, he proposed, and it was perfect," Rodrigues says.
Kay Jewelers
Michel proposed to Rodrigues with a custom 2.5 carat cushion-cut diamond on a white gold band. With the help of Kay Jewelers, the couple will further design the stone to create Rodrigues' dream ring.
"Before Sony proposed, I would just send him different kinds of rings that I thought were nice," the bride-to-be says. "I think we ended up coming up with a vision of different rings put together that would look kind of original and something that we both really like."
He tells PEOPLE that working with Kay Jewelers for the ring was a "phenomenal opportunity" for him to make his vision come to life. "Growing up, you see so many commercials and advertisements for Kay Jewelers, so we know their core foundation and what they're all about," he says. "They were all in to make this vision come to life and so were we."
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As for their upcoming wedding, now that Michel and Rodrigues are officially engaged, they're going to take their time before heading down the aisle — especially seeing as they have a new baby on the way (Michel is also dad to 3-year-old daughter Nuri, from a previous relationship).
"We're in the midst of having a baby and just got engaged, so I'm at the point of just wanting to enjoy that and see how the next year goes," says Rodrigues. "Then, maybe start planning a wedding, because I've heard it's a big job."
And while everyone in Michel and Rodrigues' lives are happy for them, there's one outlier: Nuri, who adorably expressed some reservations about the idea of a wedding during a family pool day.
"We were in the pool and she's looking at my ring. I asked her if she liked it and she's like, 'Ugh no! Where did you get that from?' Rodrigues recalls with a laugh. "I was like, 'Daddy and I are getting married.' And then she was like, 'No! I want you to marry me!' "
"She's the sweetest," Rodrigues says.
