‘Nashville’ Actor Jake Etheridge and Country Singer MacKenzie Porter Get Engaged

Nashville actor Jake Etheridge and singer MacKenzie Porter are engaged, with the couple sharing the happy news with PEOPLE.com.

“Jake took me out for an eight-course dinner at a new Indian restaurant in Nashville,” Porter revealed. “We walked home, and when I opened up our front door, his favorite song [James Carr’s ‘The Dark End of the Street’] was playing. The floor was covered in candles and roses, there was champagne on ice and he instantly got down on one knee. He said all of the sweet things and asked me to do forever with him!”

The couple has been secretly engaged for a weeks and has been quietly celebrating with family and friends.

“We’ve been best friends for five years and now have a ‘bestie for the restie.’ Surprise!!! We are getting freaking MARRIED,” Porter said.

Etheridge proposed to his fiancée with a 2-carat, round diamond ring with a hidden halo and whisper-thin twisted band.

“I remember the day I proposed, I was so nervous,” he recalled. “When we were walking to the restaurant, I was constantly thinking, ‘How do I talk normal? What do I do with my hands?!’ I knew she’d say ‘Yes,’ but I wanted everything to be just perfect. I can’t wait to marry this woman!”

The 31-year-old added that he knew he wanted to marry Porter the first time he saw her, and the couple has been together for five years.

“The day I met Mack I called my mom on the phone and told her, ‘[I’m] gonna marry that girl,’” he said. “Believe me, I know how it sounds — straight parmesan cheese — but it’s true.”

After the news went public, both musicians gushed about their engagement on Instagram.

“YES YES YES YES YES!!! Lets get f—ing MARRIED baby!” Porter captioned her post. “We’ve been keeping this little secret for a few weeks now soaking it in with our family and friends and are so excited to share it with the world! @jetheridgemusic you are the best decision I have ever made and I can’t wait to love you forever.”

“Annnnnnd….We gettin married y’all!” Etheridge wrote on his own page. “Been secretly celebrating with our friends and family the past couple weeks now. I remember seeing Mack for the first time walking into our co-write wearing these crazy peace pants and thinkin I’m gonna marry that girl. I love you bebe.”

Etheridge is a singer-songwriter who appeared on the final season of Nashville as Sean McPherson. Porter is a Canadian country singer who has also starred in Netflix’s series Travelers. She recently released a single, “About You,” and cast her fiancé in the music video.

Photo Credit: Instagram / @mackenziepmusic