Erica Rose didn’t find love with Prince Lorenzo Borghese on season 9 of The Bachelor. Instead she’ll live happily ever after with Houston, Texas-based investor Charles Sanders.
The 34-year-old law student said “yes” to Sanders (and her grandmother’s pear-shaped diamond ring!) on Sunday, September 24. And it was just as perfect as any Bachelor proposal: Sanders, 34, popped the question during her daughter Holland’s first birthday party at the Houston Zoo in front of their family and friends. Not only did Sanders ask Holland for permission but he bought her a baby diamond to wear. (Rose and Holland’s dad, Galen Gentry, split shortly after Holland was born in September 2016.)
Rose and her future husband were acquaintances in high school (he went to prom with her best friend!) and the two reconnected when she moved back to Texas from L.A. in November 2016. But the person responsible for bringing them together won’t be at the wedding.
“I gained a lot of weight during my pregnancy and I had random people including one of Charles’ relatives stalking me,” Rose exclusive tells Us Weekly. “She was literally following me into stores and taking pictures of me to show how much weight I’d gained. That’s what made him start to think about me.” But Rose made the first move, messaging him on the dating app Bumble. Sanders, who had been thinking about Rose already, didn’t waste a minute writing back.
Rose knew she had found “the one” while she was vacationing in Aspen with Sanders and Holland in August. “Holland was having altitude sickness and he took care of her,” she tells Us. “I never told a guy I loved him first in my entire life, but I said it then. We were going to bed and I told Holland I loved her and then I said to Charles ‘I love you too.’ And he said it back.” One month later, they were engaged.
The couple, who are both Jewish, will exchange vows on December 3 at a synagogue in Houston, and the reception will take place at an old movie theater. Friends including Married at First Sight star Jamie Otis and fellow Bachelor alum Vienna Girardi — have already asked to be bridesmaids.
“Charles and I are both obsessed with the ‘90s so we want our theme to be ‘90s for the party,” she tells Us. As a tribute to their nickname “Cherica,” they’re filling the temple with cherry blossoms and cherries. “It’s a symbol of our relationship,” she adds. “I’m going to wear a tiara for the wedding and Charles wants to wear a crown!”
