'Bachelor in Paradise' Stars Abigail Heringer and Noah Erb Are Engaged: 'The Proposal Was Perfect' (Exclusive)

Another day, another Bachelor Nation happily ever after!

Bachelor in Paradise stars Noah Erb and Abigail Heringer are engaged, the couple announced on Instagram on Aug. 9.

Erb, 28, popped the question at a beachfront home in La Jolla, San Diego, on Tuesday evening, PEOPLE can confirm. The residence was decorated with red and pink roses and rose petals overlooking the beach, and friends were on hand to celebrate the special milestone.

Erb, who hails from Tulsa, Oklahoma, got down on one knee and presented Heringer, 28, with a 4-carat oval-shaped engagement ring with a pave-set band and hidden halo from Keyzar Jewelry. 

"It was stunning and exactly what she was hoping for!" he tells PEOPLE. "Our friends Hannah Sinclair and Emma Burke (photographer and videographer) helped us capture the moment which was so special!"

Erb explains to PEOPLE that the proposal was actually "moved a month ahead" as Heringer had decided to schedule their move back to Oklahoma sooner than initially planned after she "rescued a dog unexpectedly two weeks ago."

"I called her parents a couple days before to fill them in on my plans," Erb recalls. "Thomas [Jacobs] helped me with the arrangements and get everything set up. The proposal was perfect and everything I wanted to incorporate to make it special and ours." 

Heringer didn't suspect anything following the change of plans, Erb says. "She thought I was playing pickleball with Thomas and was inviting her and Becca [Kufrin] to join us for a sunset at his friends house," he tells PEOPLE. "She had no clue the engagement was happening until we walked up the stairs to the rooftop and saw the roses and candles overlooking the ocean."

The Oregon native thought she was touring the house until she saw the rose petals on the rooftop. "Once she saw the roses while walking up the stairs she got emotional. She was crying right when she saw the roses and both of us were emotional during my speech while watching the sunset," he tells PEOPLE.

He adds: "It could not have worked out better than it did and couldn’t be more grateful for Keyzar and my friends that helped put it together."

The couple will continue the celebrations tonight with SoFi, the all-in-one personal finance app, who provided the ultimate engagement gift: tickets to the last US stop of Taylor Swift’s Eras tour.

In July, Heringer revealed that she purchased a house for the couple near his family in Tulsa. They previously had been staying in a rental home in San Diego.

During a candid Instagram Q&A, Heringer revealed why the couple decided to move.

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“Cost of living!" she exclaimed to her followers, according to Bachelor Nation. "I would’ve had to be prepared to spend 2-3x more on a house to get everything I wanted in CA. We could’ve kept renting but I was ready to be a homeowner!"

Erb, who works as a travel nurse, and Heringer, who makes her living as a client financial manager, met on Bachelor in Paradise season 7, which premiered in August 2021. Though the pair were voted "Most Likely to Live Happily Ever After" during the show's "Prom Night," they split before the show's Fantasy Suites and each left Mexico single. After the finale aired, they revealed they were back together.

Erb previously competed on season 16 of The Bachelorette, while Heringer made history when she appeared on season 25 of The Bachelor as the franchise's first deaf contestant.