The former American Idol contestants are getting married, they confirm to PEOPLE exclusively Gabby Barrett and Cade Foehner are engaged! The former American Idol contestants are tying the knot and PEOPLE has all the details of the surprise proposal, the gorgeous ring and whether or not their former Idol judges will be getting an invite to the wedding. Get push notifications with news, features and more. “I’ve been thinking about proposing for quite a while,” Foehner, 22, said. “It’s getting harder and harder to be apart. Doing all the traveling we have to do, sometimes we have to go a month without seeing each other. That’s a little much for me, so I decided to go ahead and do this thing!” During a trip to Los Angeles to participate in pre-marital counseling and visit their pastor, the duo quickly realized they were staying in a very familiar hotel. Gaby-Barrett-Cade-Foehner-1 Cade Foehner and Gabby Barrett | Credit: Madisen Elizabeth Photography “The hotel we were staying at while we were there was the same one me and Cade met and hung out in for the first time during Idol,” Barrett, 19, told PEOPLE. “So I told Cade we have to go back and check out the room and he agreed.” Before a mini-photoshoot they were taking for a friend’s portfolio, the photographer suggested they take photos in the room where they first met. Gaby-Barrett-Cade-Foehner-4 Credit: Madisen Elizabeth Photography “She started taking the pictures and then she said, ‘Hold on I need to switch lenses.’ Cade start saying all these sweet things and I didn’t think anything of it because he normally does it all the time,” said Barrett. “But I noticed he kept going on and on and then he eventually said, ‘I want to spend the rest of my life with you.’ Then he got down on one knee and he asked and I said, ‘Yes! '” Gaby-Barrett-Cade-Foehner-3 Gabby Barrett and Cade Foehner | Credit: Madisen Elizabeth Photography “I did not see this coming,” she added. Though Cade had already purchased the ring, he didn’t usually travel with it — and wasn’t planning on proposing during this particular trip. But, when he realized they would be staying at the same hotel where they first met, he thought, ‘It can’t get any more right than this.” “My sister overnighted the ring to our church,” he said. Barrett added, “The ring is very me.” The duo first met during last season of American Idol in 2018. “I thought he was cute, but I didn’t think there was going to be anything that came out of it,” said Barrett. But before they knew, the couple had fallen head over heels for each other. 149250_6551 Cade Foehner and Gabby Barrett on American Idol | Credit: Eric McCandless/ABC via Getty “Her love for God — that rocked my world from the start,” Foehner told PEOPLE. “Her humility and who she is as a woman is wrapped up in her beliefs in God. Having that pushes you to want to be humble and want to live a life like Christ. She’s absolutely captivating. I’ve known for quite a while that I want to spend my life with her. I could literally stare in her eyes for a million years and could not get tired of that.” And while the two acknowledge some people may believe “they’re too young” for marriage, Barrett and Foehner are prepared for what’s ahead. RELATED VIDEO: American Idol Fan Favorite From Last Season Surprises Katy Perry in Powerful Audition “We do not date like most people do,” admitted Foehner. “We strive for a biblical relationship, so that requires a lot of strength in other areas. We are trying to be holy in our relationship. So we cannot physically do five years. We both know — we’ve talked about it and prayed about it.” He added, “What’s the sense in sitting around and waiting around to be married? I’m ready to do this thing and when I’m 80 years old I’m going to look back at the time I wasted not being her husband.” While they’re still enjoying their newly engaged bliss, a wedding date hasn’t been discussed — but they do have an idea of what time of year they want to tie the knot. Gaby-Barrett-Cade-Foehner-2 Cade Foehner and Gabby Barrett | Credit: Madisen Elizabeth Photography “We want a wedding in colder weather,” said Barrett. And you better believe their former Idol judges Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan will receive invites.<doc-sep>Cade Foehner and Gabby Barrett have made it official! The American Idol alums took to Instagram on Friday to announce that they're engaged. During their time on season 16 of the show last year, Barrett nabbed third place, while Foehner was sent home just one week earlier. "Not a day nor hour more can I wait for you to be my bride," Foehner, 22, captioned stunning engagement photos of the pair. "Ladies and gentlemen, the future Mrs. Foehner." Barrett, 19, expressed her joy at being a bride-to-be, writing, "Foehner has a nice RING to it... ??." When ET's Lauren Zima caught up with the couple last July, Barrett seemed to think an engagement was years away, despite calling her former competitor her "best friend." "Give it a couple of years [and then] come back," Barrett said at the time. Though she wasn't sure about an engagement last summer, Barrett had no problem gushing about her now-fiance. "I honestly feel like I've known him for a long time. I feel like when you like somebody so much and you get along really well, you feel like you've known them for so much longer," she said. "And the more and more we get to be with each other, the more you figure out how somebody truly is and their real character and things like that. I think we've gotten to know each other pretty well throughout the whole thing." "... You like somebody at first normally because you're attracted to the person, but then what makes you stay [and] really, really like them is their personality. And I like his personality a lot," she added. "He just meshes with me really well." During the same interview, Foehner discussed how their shared faith brought them closer together. "The main thing we both were looking in just in someone in general is just are they going to keep us grounded and keep us where we want to go, because the ultimate goal here is to share a passion for the love of the Lord and that's really what we're trying to both do," he said. "I mean, with our lives. I don't really see a point of doing music if it's not about that. And we both share that dream of Him, you know?" "... My relationship with the Lord, that is the central thing in my life. I don't want to live if I can't have that. And, to me, I feel that she pushes me toward that, to be holy and to be Christ-like, and that is everything that I ever looked [for in] someone," he added. "I found it in her." Watch the video below for more on Foehner and Barrett. GET THE ET NEWSLETTER Email By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy RELATED CONTENT: 'American Idol' Star Gabby Barrett Reveals How Cade Foehner Keeps Her Grounded This video is unavailable because we were unable to load a message from our sponsors. If you are using ad-blocking software, please disable it and reload the page. 'American Idol' Alum Gabby Barrett: Behind the Scenes of 'I Hope' Katy Perry Reacts to Cade Foehner Possibly Dating Another 'American Idol' Contestant (Exclusive) 'American Idol’ Lovebirds Maddie Poppe and Caleb Lee Hutchinson Share Relationship Update (Exclusive) Related Gallery<doc-sep>ABC Television “American Idol” contestants Cade Foehner, 22, and Gabby Barrett, 19, are taking a big step in their relationship, a year after meeting on the show. Cade popped the question during a recent trip to Los Angeles. He told People magazine, “I've been thinking about proposing for quite a while. It's getting harder and harder to be apart. Doing all the traveling we have to do, sometimes we have to go a month without seeing each other. That's a little much for me, so I decided to go ahead and do this thing!” The pair were doing a mini photo shoot in the hotel room where they first met when Cade got down on one knee and proposed. Gabby shared, “Cade start saying all these sweet things and I didn't think anything of it because he normally does it all the time. But I noticed he kept going on and on and then he eventually said, 'I want to spend the rest of my life with you.' Then he got down on one knee and he asked and I said, 'Yes! '”Gabby was surprised by the proposal, commenting, “I did not see this coming.” The two connected on a religious level. Foehner dished, “We do not date like most people do. We strive for a biblical relationship, so that requires a lot of strength in other areas. We are trying to be holy in our relationship. So we cannot physically do five years. We both know — we've talked about it and prayed about it.” Of their quick engagement, Cade explained, “What's the sense in sitting around and waiting around to be married? I'm ready to do this thing and when I'm 80 years old I'm going to look back at the time I wasted not being her husband.”<doc-sep>Gabby Barrett and Cade Foehner, who both competed on Season 16 of ‘American Idol’, are spilling all the romantic details on his epic proposal and why they want to tie the knot ‘ASAP’! Former American Idol contestants Gabby Barrett, 19, and Cade Foehner, 22, are a force to be reckoned with! Not only are they both working on their music careers, but they’re also busy building a life together. Just four days after revealing to the world that they’re engaged, Gabby and Cade dished on his proposal, as well as their wedding plans, with HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY. And according to Gabby, Cade’s proposal was “really fun” for her. She explained, “So Cade and I were both in LA for some premarital counseling at a wonderful church … [and] the hotel we were staying at while we were visiting happened to be the same one Cade and I met in and hung out in a conference room in the hotel for the first time during Idol.” She continued, “I told Cade that we have to go back and check out the room. So the pastor [we were seeking counseling from] told us that his daughter takes pictures and she asked if she could take some random ones of us for her portfolio and we said, “Yeah!’ And so, we were about to start the little photo session and we went to the room where we first met in, so we said, ‘OK’. Then, she starts taking pictures — and keep in mind I don’t expect or suspect anything. Then she says, ‘Let’s take some pictures in that room!’ And then she says, ‘Hang on a second! I need to switch a setting on my camera! You guys can hang out for a minute…’ And so we were like, ‘OK’. So Cade looks at me and starts saying all these super duper sweet things and I thought nothing of it because he normally does that all the time and I noticed he kept going on and on and then he said eventually, ‘I want to spend the rest of my life with you!’ And then he got down on one knee and popped out the ring from under a curtain and then I said, ‘Yes!’ And then we took real professional pictures because it was all set up and it was really fun!” We, obviously, couldn’t be happier for the couple, but considering their young ages, we thought they’d wait a bit before getting married, however, that won’t be the case for Gabby and Cade who began dating in early 2018 when they competed on Idol together during Season 16. As for a specific wedding date, Cade told us, “We haven’t set a date or anything, but we are going to get this shindig on the road as soon as possible! We are both excited to be married and start that life!” https://soundcloud.com/user-27311058/cade-foehnergb-single-01-southern-hallelujah/s-wh1id Cade also told us that faith plays a huge part in both his personal and professional life. Cade, who just released a new song called “Southern Hallelujah” on March 26, told us, “Yeah [faith] is certainly a catalyst and the absolute center of all that I do — to have faith in Christ, it is so permeating to all that I do and the music that I write. I am always trying to ground it in something that is pointing to the scriptures and the marriage relationship. The reason that marriage is what it is is because it is supposed to represent Christ and his church, so that is certainly the center of all that I will do until I die.” As for what their future holds in music, Gabby and Cade want to win a lot of awards, and we can’t say we blame them! Considering how much we love them and their music, we predict they’ll win many awards throughout their lives. “I would love to be nominated for a CMA or Grammy in one year. That would be really really cool for me. So that would be on my bucket list for the next year musically,” Gabby told us, while Cade revealed, “Musically speaking, everything I have ever wanted to do was to play in a band and travel. I was the little rock and roll guy in high school. That was my biggest thing in my world and that is why I did Idol — to brush up. That was the most interesting and grueling thing that anyone can do, so to be able to travel around and be a part of this music community and have people respect and enlighten you, that is always the goal in mind. So always push forward and continue to make it as big as it could possibly can be!” Cade, who finished in fifth place on Idol, also told us he’ll be embarking on another tour soon, but no details have been revealed just yet. As for his new song, “Southern Hallelujah”, which was released on March 26, Cade is currently filming a music video for it. Meanwhile, Gabby, who finished third on Idol last year, is currently touring and promoting her new song, “I Hope.” More info about concert dates can be found here!<doc-sep>
Congratulations to the happy couple – Gabby Barrett and Cade Foehner, who were on ‘American Idol’ are officially engaged! Former American Idol contestants Gabby Barrett, 19, and Cade Foehner, 22, who were on season 16 of the singing reality show together in 2018, announced their engagement, and we couldn’t be happier for the couple! Cade revealed that he has been thinking of proposing for some time now. “I’ve been thinking about proposing for quite a while,” Cade told People. “It’s getting harder and harder to be apart. Doing all the traveling we have to do, sometimes we have to go a month without seeing each other. That’s a little much for me, so I decided to go ahead and do this thing!” Cade romantically proposed in the hotel where they first met. “Cade [started] saying all these sweet things and I didn’t think anything of it because he normally does it all the time,” Gabby gushed over the proposal. “But I noticed he kept going on and on and then he eventually said, ‘I want to spend the rest of my life with you.’ Then he got down on one knee and he asked and I said, ‘Yes! '” Gabby admitted that she “did not see this coming” and Cade didn’t either – while he had gotten a ring for Gabby, he didn’t plan his proposal for that hotel stay until he realized the significance of the place. “It can’t get any more right than this,” he said of the location. Funnily enough, Gabby remembered meeting him and “thought he was cute,” but she didn’t think that “there was going to be anything that came out of it.” The couple bonded over their mutual faith, and Cade said that the two “strive for a biblical relationship.” While Cade acknowledged that they’re young, he doesn’t want to wait too long before getting married to Gabby. “What’s the sense in sitting around and waiting to be married? I’m ready to do this thing and when I’m 80 years old I’m going to look back at the time I wasted not being her husband.”‘ Cade revealed on Live With Kelly and Ryan in May 2018 that him and Gabby were dating. While the couple couldn’t reveal that information prior, he couldn’t stop smiling once finally announcing their relationship. He cheekily admitted that he “probably” got closest to Gabby while on the show! We’re so thrilled for the two and can’t wait to hear more about their future wedding, which the couple said they want to do during “colder weather.” As for who from American Idol may possibly come to celebrate their big day? “The judges are family like us,” Gabby said. “Idol was the very beginning of our love story and we would love for all of our family to be there.” We’ll have to wait and see if Katy Perry, 34, Lionel Richie, 69, and Luke Bryan, 42, attend! For now, we wish the best to the happy couple and hope they enjoy their engagement!