‘Modern Family’ Mom Julie Bowen Says Wells Adams Asked Permission to Marry Sarah Hyland

Before Wells Adams asked for Sarah Hyland‘s hand in marriage, he sought approval from her mom. Or at least, her TV mom. Julie Bowen, who plays Hyland’s mom on Modern Family, recently revealed that Adams approached her before he popped the question. As noticed by PEOPLE, Bowen revealed the tidbit in an Instagram video earlier this week when she was asked by one of her followers if she’d met the star of Bachelor in Paradise.

“Wells asked me my permission to marry her,” the 49-year-old actress said, showing that playing a mother and daughter on a sitcom for years really can make you family.

Hyland and Wells first got engaged back in July and made the news public when they each revealed their own Instagram posts sharing the moment from their unique perspectives. Prior to their engagement, the couple had been dating for roughly two years, an occasion which Hyland marked with a heartfelt message to Adams, also on Instagram.

“Two years ago I asked when you were going to ask me to be your girlfriend,” Hyland wrote. “This summer you asked me to be your wife. If two years feels like a lifetime then I can’t wait to spend my eternity with you. You’re the calm to my storm. The sun to my moon. The Chandler to my Monica. I can’t wait to marry you. Happy two years baby.”

The couple have become known for their very public flirting on social media, including a slightly racy exchange over the summer, and another over the holidays. They also caught some heat for a wedding photo that some fans deemed as problematic. Although others thought it was all a joke in good fun between friends.

Despite their online rapport, the couple have kept some things to themselves. When Adams proposed, he did so on a private beach, and the two have been notoriously guarded when it comes to talking about their long-range plans.

“I’ve said it before, everyone is so invested in the next thing,” Adams told Entertainment Tonight back in August. “Like, when we were dating, everyone was like, ‘When are you moving in?’ And when we moved in, everyone was like, ‘When are you going to get engaged?’ … It’s like, hold on, don’t forget that the destination isn’t what it’s about, the journey is what’s fun. We’re, like, a month into being engaged and I’ve never been engaged before and I assume I’m never going to be again, so kind of want to just enjoy this little time.”

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