Ty Pennington’s Friends and Fans Congratulate Him on Engagement to Kellee Merrell

Ty Pennington will soon be saying “I do” to his now-fiancée Kelle Merrell. The HGTV star announced in late July that he and Merrell, a social media manager originally from Vancouver, are engaged. The exciting news, which was first shared by Pennington to Instagram alongside a photo of Merrell’s engagement ring, was met with congratulatory messages from Pennington’s fans and fellow HGTV stars alike.

The couple’s engagement came more than a decade after they first met in 2010 while Pennington was filming a TV show in Toronto. The home renovation star and Merrell stayed connected via mutual friends in the years that followed, and after sparking romance in early 2020 after reconnecting and deciding to quarantine together, Pennington told PEOPLE he dropped to one knee and proposed over morning coffee on the dock of his home in Palm Coast, Florida. Reflecting on their relationship and engagement, he told the outlet, “I have admired Kellee from afar for years. She’s a beautiful person inside and out. Luckily our paths finally crossed at the right time. It’s one of those things where you just feel happy being around a person. I never thought I would get married, but she changed that. Glad I waited for the one.”

The newly engaged couple’s exciting news proved to be a celebratory occasion for many. After Pennington confirmed the engagement on Instagram by writing, “it’s the ‘yes’ for me…” many of Pennington’s HGTV friends and long-time fans of the star reached out on social media send congratulatory message and celebrate their love. Keep scrolling to see some of the messages.

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Among the first to react to the news was Taniya Nayak. Nayak currently stars with Pennington on HGTV’s Battle on the Beach, which finds contestants challenged with transforming a trio of plain, drab living rooms into stylish spaces that will enhance resale values of three gulf coast beach homes. Celebrating her co-star’s engagement, Nayak commented, “Wooohoooo! Smart move!! She’s a keeper! Congrats you two lovebirds!”

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Designer Sabrina Soto, who teamed up with Pennington on Ty Breaker, also celebrated the happy news. In the comments section, Soto wrote, “What!!?? What!?! Yeah!!!!! Omg!!!!!!!!!!!! Congratulations!!!” She added a series of red heart emojis before ending her comment with, “I’m so happy for you both.”

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Celebrating the engagement announcement, one of Pennington’s fans commented, “OMG Tyyyyy!!!!! Congratulations!!!!! I am so excited for you both.”

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Another fan jumped into the comments section with, “Whoa !! Congratulations and Hooray for Love!!! That’s awesome brother.” Somebody else wrote, “Fantastic! Wishing you all the best!” Pennington responded to that comment by writing, “thanks buddy.”

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Pennington’s Trading Spaces co-star Genevieve Gorder commented, “IM SO HAPPY FOR YOU MY FRIEND!!! Cannot wait to meet her.”

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In the comments section of the engagement news post, another of Pennington’s followers wrote, “Congrats.” That person quipped that it “must have been those bay watch Speedo vibes that did it!” Pennington quickly shot back, “that definitely sealed the deal!”

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Pennington and Merrell have certainly seen the overwhelming response to their engagement news. Two days after the announcement, Pennington returned to the social media platform to offer a message of thanks. Sharing a photo of himself and his fiancée, the HGTV star wrote in part, “Just wanted to say thank you for all the love and nice messages about our engagement. We are feeling the love!”