Model gets engaged on the runway during Bridal Fashion Week
Nicole Kaspar said she "kind of blacked out."
A Bridal Fashion Week model stole the show when her then-boyfriend dropped to one knee in the middle of the runway.
Nicole Kaspar was the finale model in bridal fashion company Watters' Spring 2019 show last week in New York City. And for the Dallas-based model, it started off like any show.
"It was crazy and chaotic backstage," she told ABC News. "I was supposed to escort [designer] Elias [Gutierrez] out for a final bow and when I turned to leave and go back to our place for pictures, he grabbed me and didn’t let me go."
Kaspar, 27, thought she had made a mistake on the runway. But soon, she'd realize that her boyfriend of two years, Chad Stapleton was actually proposing.
Stapleton, who's a dentist based in Dallas, told ABC News he had been trying to plan the perfect proposal for eight months.
"I wanted to propose to Nicole related to something she loves and that’s traveling and modeling," he said.
And after meeting a Watters' designer at their annual model search, the idea was born. He invited their parents to join him at the fashion show to witness it in person. And after Gutierrez's final bow, Stapleton, 26, dropped down to one knee, proposing in front of family, models and press.
Kaspar, who's been modeling since age 15, said her now-fiancé pulled it off perfectly.
"When Chad stepped out into the lights, I was just like in shock," she gushed. "I kind of blacked out. Elias had to push me go move."
The model's engagement ring, which has a cathedral setting, features an inverted ruby stone in the lower band. Stapleton said there's a reason for it.
"About six months into dating, we took a six-week European trip together, which is pretty fast for just dating," the future groom shared, "but that’s how much we knew each other and liked each other."
Stapleton continued that he included a ruby in Kaspar's engagement ring because it's "the birthstone for July. That’s the month we fell in love."
The two are now looking forward to planning a wedding in Texas.
"And I’m looking forward to starting a family," Stapleton added.
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