Lauren Alaina's Husband Cam Arnold Jokes That She 'Ruined' His Romantic Proposal 3 Times (Exclusive)

Lauren Alaina and husband Cam Arnold's engagement had a few false starts.

Arnold tells PEOPLE that he had his proposal perfectly planned — but the "Thicc as Thieves" singer, 29, "ruined it three times." After the first two attempts, he was all set to pop the question during their very first night in their new house.

However, Alaina unknowingly spoiled his romantic plans when she brought dinner to the crew who was busy installing tiles in their bathroom at the time. Arnold thought the crew would soon be on their way out for the day, but they ate their meal and then resumed their work — late into the night.

"I was supposed to have a bottle of wine, a fire, I was going to pop the question by the fire, first night in the new house," he recalls. "Next thing I know, these guys are over there ‘til about 1:30 in the morning laying tile, and Lauren’s passed out in the living room on the mattress on the floor."

Arnold was left to spend what he thought would be his engagement night alone while Alaina slept.

"So, I drank a bottle of wine by myself and watched guys lay tile and b----ed at ‘em, 'I can’t believe y’all actually stayed and let this happen,' " he jokes.

All's well that ends well, though, as Alaina says when the November 2022 proposal finally did happen, it was "perfect."

"He proposed in the morning, and it was actually perfect. It was very intimate, just the two of us, and I wouldn’t change a thing about it," she tells PEOPLE.

"But it’s pretty funny, because I had no idea he’d gotten a ring, so we… I ruined it a couple times. I’m sorry," she says to Arnold with a laugh.

Making the occasion even more special, they had an opportunity to share their happy news publicly the next night during Alaina's performance at the Grand Ole Opry. She brought Arnold onstage and introduced her future husband to the audience.

"Everybody, this is my fiancé," she told the crowd. "I told him he had to come out here and we had to get a picture — we're doing it because this is the circle and I'm going to hold my hand up and do the thing."

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The couple — who first met in 2020 at Luke Bryan's Crash My Playa music festival in Mexico — tied the knot on Sunday in Nashville, surrounded by 450 family members and friends. They described their nuptials as a "big, loud" celebration.

"I think it’s just a reflection of how fortunate we are — we have a lot of people who love us and we love a lot of people," Alaina tells PEOPLE of the massive guest list, which included fellow musicians HARDY, Jason Aldean and Dan + Shay's Shay Mooney.

She says marrying Arnold was "the most meaningful thing I've ever done."

"This is the first step towards building a family and the rest of my life, and my safe place to call home forever. I’m getting a new last name that I’m very, very proud of. I’m getting the last name my children will have," she adds.