As Ballerini recalled to People, she first met Evans when they were hosting Australia's Country Music Channel Awards in 2016. While celebrating with tequila shots at the after party, Ballerini realized there was a spark between them. "I remember taking that shot and putting it down and looking at him like, 'Oh ... he's super-hot.' Later that night he leaned over and asked if he could kiss me, like a proper gentleman, and I said yes," she gushed.
Evans proposed before the year was out, over Christmas vacation, with Ballerini sharing a shot of the two embracing happily on Instagram. "This morning, nine months and 13 days later, he got down on one knee in the kitchen while I was burning pancakes and asked me to marry him," she wrote in the caption. Evans advised People he had the engagement ring custom-made by a designer in Nashville. "I wanted it to be classic and beautiful, like her," he explained.
