Yahoo Finance Chase Bryant and Selena Weber Reveal Romantic Engagement Details — and How a Dove Inspired the Moment He Proposed
Samantha Mahler Chase Bryant and Selena Weber
Mere days before the pandemic wreaked havoc on the world, Chase Bryant and Selena Weber didn't have a care in the world. The country singer and the model had met on an exclusive dating app, and while they exchanged a handful of messages back and forth, they were determined to keep things casual.
But then they got on FaceTime — and the call lasted for four hours.
It was a call that would not only change the trajectory of their relationship, but it was a call that would bring about an honesty between the two, as it was on that call that Bryant mentioned the fact that he had not only survived a suicide attempt in 2018, but he had suffered with multiple bouts of depression.
"I appreciate when people can be vulnerable with me like that," Weber, 28, tells PEOPLE during a recent interview. "That's something that I really admire. So right off the bat, I was like, 'Wow, I really admire this guy.' I can't imagine how hard it was to actually come out and reveal those deep dark feelings that he had once had. I just really loved that all of this was discussed right away because it did bring us closer together."
"I think it was just instant," adds Bryant, 28, to PEOPLE. "In that very first FaceTime call, I started seeing traits and characteristics in her. I knew immediately that this was somebody that I definitely wanted to get a deeper knowing and understanding of."
Samantha Mahler Chase Bryant and Selena Weber
A few months later, Weber found herself on a flight from Florida to Texas to finally meet Bryant in person.
"The minute she walked out of the airport that day, I knew I was going to marry her," Bryant says.
Indeed, the pair is now prepping to spend a lifetime together, having gotten engaged earlier this month, with both heading to their social media soon after to share their news with the world.
"I knew that I was going to want to ask her to marry me on my birthday, because that was the only way I could trick her, because you can't get anything past Selena," explains Bryant with a laugh. "She's way too intuitive. I can't keep a secret from her. We tell each other everything."
RELATED: Chase Bryant Gets Engaged to Girlfriend Selena Weber: 'Can't Wait to Spend Forever with You'
Samantha Mahler Chase Bryant and Selena Weber
A few months back, however, Bryant did eventually find a way to sneak a visit to a beloved jewelry maker, who worked with the country star to design a custom ring perfect for Weber. Soon after, Bryant began formulating the perfect plan to ask Weber to marry him, finally deciding on doing it right outside the house they have shared together since last November — the same house that Bryant's grandparents once lived in.
But then, things got a little weird.
"I had a table set up under the big oak trees we have on the property, and I had brought the ring box down there along with a bottle of wine, but then I start noticing these dove feathers everywhere," Bryant remembers of the Oct. 9 proposal. "We started having dinner and I looked on the roof of the house and there was a dove, watching us eat dinner."
Samantha Mahler Chase Bryant and Selena Weber
Soon the two became entranced by the dove, going so far as to discuss what it all could mean.
"We started talking about how a dove is a symbol of a deeper peace, and it's also a symbol of people who have passed away, where your loved ones use doves as a way of visiting you," says Bryant, who released his critically acclaimed album Upbringing earlier this year. "Basically, it's a sign of love."
And as Weber turned to look at the dove again, Bryant pulled out the ring.
"If that was ever a time to ask someone to marry you, it was in that moment!" Bryant says with a laugh. "We hugged and we cried and then as we were standing there, we noticed that the oak trees were filled with doves, just sitting there watching us."
RELATED: Chase Bryant Says He's 'Constantly in a Period of Change' as He Drops Album Upbringing
Samantha Mahler Chase Bryant and Selena Weber
Bryant and Weber say they felt like they were in a middle of a movie.
And maybe, in a way, they are.
"It's so peaceful here in Texas," says Weber, who alongside Bryant is already busy planning a fall wedding for next year. "It just brings you back to the important things in life, and not all those things that I was surrounded by in Miami, or he was surrounded by in Nashville. What truly matters is who you have by your side. And living that simple life everyday together has felt perfect."
"I've made so many mistakes in my life and I've made so many wrong turns and I've screwed up so many times," adds Bryant. "But every single time, it has just led me to something better. And I feel like I can say that for the both of us. I feel like we both have been down a lot of the same roads and on the same journey and learned a lot of the same lessons. But somehow, we both picked a four-leaf clover, you know what I mean? I feel incredibly lucky and humbled to be able to spend my life with somebody that I can share these things with."
