Alex Rodriguez was a very patient man when it came to finding the perfect ring to propose to Jennifer Lopez with. In fact, a friend says the former baseball stud looked for over half a year before settling on the 16-carat stunner.
"Alex had been shopping around for the right ring for the past seven months, he knew for a long time that he wanted to propose to Jennifer," a source told Page Six. "He wanted to get it right. The proposal has been a long time coming, Alex knew she was the one and has been painstakingly planning everything."
Still, despite everyone knowing a proposal was inevitable, A-Rod kept the news private.
"When it came to the big moment, he didn't tell anyone, none of his friends or family — and not even Benny [Medina, J.Lo's long-term and trusted manager]," the source said. "He wanted it to be quiet and personal."
A Rod, of course, popped the question with an emerald-cut diamond over the weekend during a romantic vacation in the Bahamas. The value of the ring is said to be about $1.8 million, Page Six claimed.
After both stars announced their engagement on Instagram late on March 9, A-Rod shared a video clip on his Instagram Story that proves an enormous diamond engagement ring wasn't the only surprise he had in store for his new fiancée.
The retired baseball star and businessman's post reveals what appears to be a hotel bed covered in red rose petals spelling out "I [heart] U." Atop a pillow placed on a bench at the foot of the bed, he'd laid out several long-stemmed red roses. While recording the romantic bedroom setup, Alex, 43, briefly panned to a doorway as Jennifer, 49, walked into the room wearing a white outfit. A-Rod added a few emojis to the video too: a red heart, red kissy lips and fire.
On Tuesday, the couple both posted proposal pictures to their Instagram pages, images that show A-Rod on one knee at sunset.
While J.Lo captioned her images with the date of their engagement, March 9, A-Rod captioned the hashtag "Future Mrs. Rodriguez," as well as the words, "Locking it down."
A proposal in the Bahamas seemed meant to be, as it's the first place where the couple vacationed together.
"This is really where they fell in love," Page Six's source said. "It's very special to both of them."