‘Bringing Up Bates’ Star Lawson Bates Engaged to Girlfriend Tiffany Espensen After Less Than 1 Year Together

Bringing Up Bates star Lawson Bates will soon head down the aisle with Tiffany Espensen. On Thursday, PEOPLE reported that Bates proposed to Espensen during a recent trip to Italy. The pair first began dating earlier this year.

Bates managed to surprise Espensen during their trip to Italy. He told her they were traveling to the country to shoot the music video for their song collaboration, “Crazy Love.” Of course, he had other plans for their excursion. Bates told the publication about Espensen, whom he began dating this past February, “Getting to know Tiffany – her heart, her passions, and her dreams – has been the greatest joy of my life, and we have been making so many wonderful memories together over the past year.”

The Bringing Up Bates star went on to describe the events leading up to the proposal. He explained that after days full of sightseeing, they were able to have a romantic moment at the Tenuta Larnianone in Siena, which is where he proposed to Espensen. Bates said, “It has been a roller coaster of a few days so far, from our first stop at the Colosseum in Rome, to a Vespa ride through the Siena countryside, to a lovely evening dinner in San Gimignano, to a horse and carriage ride through Florence – all leading up to the main reason I’m here: asking Tiffany if she would spend the rest of her life by my side.”

Espensen also opened up to PEOPLE about the proposal. While she did say that she was surprised when Bates got down on one knee, she did suspect that something big was about to happen due to her boyfriend’s penchant for secrecy in the days leading up to the engagement. “I knew something was suspicious when Lawson became awfully secretive with texts and planning with others. However, he still blew me away with this surprise!” she said. “To travel to Italy for any occasion is a dream, but especially for an engagement.”

As for what’s next for the couple, they’re looking forward to planning their dream wedding. But, more importantly, they’re focused on building a strong foundation for their marriage. During their chat with PEOPLE, they both expressed how thrilled they are to be taking the next step in their relationship. Bates said that the two are simply “overjoyed and excited to start preparing for our wedding and our future together.”