“RIP boyfriend, hello fiancé”

This is how Nina Dobrev announced the happy news of her engagement to Shaun White on October 30. 

The longtime couple have seen some ups and downs during their relationship, but now the plan is finally to lock down their love forever. 

And as you can imagine, after so many years of dating, the proposal had to be BIG. 

Like 23 feet up in the air – aka, the highest halfpipe air Shaun ever clocked?

Snowboard not your thing? No? Ok, let’s move on…

The Big Surprise

Out of the blue on the morning before Halloween, Nina shared her engagement announcement with her army of followers on Instagram!

In a carousel of photos, she shared a glimpse into the big proposal the night before in NYC. There are big smiles on both of their faces in the photos and, perhaps more importantly to some, a huge diamond on Nina’s finger.

But the story of how and when Shaun decided to propose was shared with Vogue Magazine. Apparently, it’s been over a year in the making. 

One of his first attempts was over the summer holiday – but that was before Nina was seriously injured during a dirt bike accident. 

He then had the thought of proposing while in Cape Town last fall for the The Earthshot Prize Ceremony. But apparently, Nina would’ve seen that coming. 

And it was important for Shaun to really surprise his girlfriend of 4 years. 

With that, he planned to do it randomly, on a night she wouldn’t expect, but one he planned down to the smallest details. 

The Ring

Given that he’s been toying with the idea for awhile, he also has had the ring for quite some time too. The beauty is a five-carat Lorraine Schwartz diamond ring, which Shaun was forced to hide around their house over and over again. 

In retelling the tale to Vogue, he actually admitted it finally ended up in the tool shed. “The garage?” Nina exclaims when Shaun tells me his hiding spot. He shrugs: “I was like, She’s not coming out here.”

The Proposal

Turns out, Vogue played a bigger part in the story than just landing the story. Shaun actually tricked Nina to the proposal location with a fake invite to a party thrown by Anna Wintour in NYC. 

When she arrived late, she was sure she’d incur the wrath of the publishing titan. But when she finally did arrive, there was no Anna or party in sight; just a photographer, Shaun, and hundreds of white flowers adorning every surface. 

Nina told the magazine that she didn’t remember exactly what happened next, professing she blacked out. But she does remember this: “He said all the right things.”

Their Romantic History

The pair originally sparked romance rumors in February 2020. That’s when their followers noticed that they had both posted photos from a trip to South Africa. 

From there, it was clear that the The Vampire Diaries actress was smitten with the Olympian and they’ve been attached to the hip ever since. 

She was there for him when he took his finale halfpipe run in the 2022 Olympics and announced his retirement. He’s been there by her side at every movie premiere and star-studded event. 

Now, it’s on to planning a wedding, which we have no doubt will be quite the affair to remember!