Shaun White made just a few completely different plans to suggest to Nina Dobrev—however they stored being thwarted. The primary, throughout their summer season trip, was scrapped after Nina injured her knee in a dirt-biking accident. Then, he thought of early November, after they have been in Cape City for The Earthshot Prize Ceremony. However he may inform that Nina thought it would occur in South Africa—as a result of, nicely, all her associates stored asking if it was going to occur. And right here’s the factor about Nina, says Shaun: She’s a particularly organized one that isn’t shocked, however she loves being shocked. He needed to shock her.

So White determined to suggest on an in any other case mundane week in late October. He had all of it arrange: the date, location (The Golden Swan restaurant in New York Metropolis), flowers, a photographer. For weeks, he moved Nina’s future five-carat Lorraine Schwartz ring round their residence so she wouldn’t discover it—first into the protected, then his sock drawer, and finally, all the best way behind the instrument shed. (“The storage?” Nina exclaims when Shaun tells me his hiding spot. He shrugs: “I used to be like, She’s not popping out right here.”)

A number of days earlier than he was set to pop the query, Nina informed him she wasn’t feeling nicely. She wished to relaxation up earlier than Africa, and didn’t wish to exit—in any respect—till they left. However this time, he refused to reschedule. As a substitute, he determined to do one thing drastic. He had his publicist ship Nina a pretend invitation for an intimate CFDA/Vogue dinner with Anna Wintour on the Golden Swan in New York Metropolis. Nina accepted. “He made the invite look so reputable,” Nina says, laughing.