How NFL Star Christian McCaffrey Pulled Off His Surprise Proposal To Olivia Culpo
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce may be the most talked about, but they're hardly the first football-centric celebrity super couple; plenty of other gridiron guys have gotten involved with high-profile ladies. Take, for example, NFL star Christian McCaffrey and his model fiancé, Olivia Culpo. The super-rich former Miss Universe and the San Francisco 49ers running back were first rumored to be dating in 2019, even though Culpo had previously sworn off athletes. However, since then, she's become a sideline regular at his games, and in April 2023, McCaffrey ensured he would never need another cheerleader by popping the question.
The loved-up couple was enjoying a spring trip to Utah at the time, and Culpo, by her own admission, wasn't feeling it. In an effort to keep the model guessing, McCaffrey was playing hard to get — too hard in Culpo's opinion. In a TikTok video for Amazon Live, she lamented, "I tried to hint at what [ring] I wanted and he was just so uninterested," acknowledging that she was becoming increasingly irritated with his behavior. In fact, the model readily admitted that her "feelings were getting hurt" by how unengaged McCaffrey seemed to be in engagement ring shopping.
However, Culpo concluded that his entire act was just a ruse, noting, "He just wanted it to be a surprise." While driving through the stunning red rock canyon scenery, McCaffrey led Culpo to a spot covered in flowers and got down on one knee (via Instagram). There, he presented a delighted Culpo with a lavish oval-cut diamond engagement ring that, thankfully, she loved.
McCaffrey had thought long and hard about the ring
As it turned out, Christian McCaffrey hadn't brushed off ring shopping like he led his then-girlfriend, Oliva Culpo, to believe. The pro-athlete was actually working closely with Ring Concierge, a luxury New York City-based jewelry brand that prides itself on being "committed to designing for women, by women," per their website, long before he proposed. Nicole Wegman, the company's founder and CEO, detailed to PopSugar how Ring Concierge and McCaffrey created a piece "that encompassed Olivia's trendsetting style while still remaining timeless."
While Culpo thought he wasn't paying attention, the footballer may have been taking notes. Wegman continued, "Christian knew Olivia loves ovals, so we selected this perfectly cut beauty to craft her ring around." Indeed, the main feature of her considerable sparkler is an oval-cut diamond placed atop a delicate band crafted from gold and platinum and complemented by Epaulette side stones. Experts informed Page Six that the stunning accessory could be anywhere from five to eight carats and worth as much as $600,000.
In the Instagram announcement of her engagement, captioned simply, "♾️4.2.23♾️," Culpo gave fans a closer look at her eye-catching ring. Later on, in her Stories, the retired pageant queen wrote, "We tried to keep this quiet for as long as possible but apparently word travels fast. I'm marrying my best friend. I love you so much, fiancé," (via Page Six).
The couple has been planning the wedding together
Once Christian McCaffrey pulled off his surprise proposal successfully, he and his fiancé, Olivia Culpo, got to work planning their wedding together. In a clip posted to TikTok, the reality star divulged, "It took us a really long time to figure out where we wanted to get married. We were thinking Colorado for a while because that's where Chris is from." However, Culpo hinted earlier in the video that Colorado wasn't their final choice.
After noting that she had arrived at the locale very early in the morning, the former Miss USA shared, "Aside from being really excited to see my wedding venue, I've been more excited to see what's in the backyard," before revealing that it was puppies belonging to her uncle and parents. Fans quickly deduced that Culpo could only be at her parents' house in Rhode Island. Indeed, right before signing off, she enthused, "This is the smallest state in the country, for those of you who are maybe from the country and don't know that. It's the best state in the entire world and [...] I'm getting married here! Aaaah!"
Culpo grew up in Cranston, Rhode Island, before later moving to Massachusetts to attend Boston University. It's unclear why the celebrity couple decided to go with her hometown over his, but possibly after hosting their engagement party there in July 2023, they both fell in love with the East Coast venue.