Tim Tebow has asked girlfriend Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters to marry him — and she said yes!
The former NFL quarterback proposed to Nel-Peters at sunset on Wednesday at his family’s farm outside of Jacksonville, Florida, PEOPLE can exclusively reveal.
The couple strolled along the property, and stopped next to a small lake, where Tebow had installed an arbor and a specially made bench that was engraved with the date the couple first met.
For about five minutes, Tebow and Nel-Peters talked about their relationship and its future in hushed tones before Tebow, 31, dropped to one knee. “Demi Leigh Nel-Peters, I love you,” he said. “Demi Leigh Nel-Peters, will you marry me?”
As Nel-Peters said yes, Tebow slipped a 7.25-carat solitaire ring on her finger. “This ring is internally flawless,” he said. “Just like you.”
Then Tebow had another surprise. South African singer Matthew Mole stepped out from behind a hay bale and serenaded the couple with The Wedding Song, one of their favorite songs.
The proposal was a family affair. Tebow had secretly flown Nel-Peters’ family and closest friends from South Africa to Florida to witness the engagement. His parents, siblings and friends were also on hand for the exciting moment. The invitees watched the proposal from a distance and out of view from Nel-Peters — who didn’t suspect a thing.
“I actually wasn’t really nervous,” Tebow tells PEOPLE. “I was excited. I wanted everything to be perfect and to go smoothly. But I wasn’t nervous to actually ask her.”
