She's been talking about getting hitched to boyfriend Brandon Blackstock for months, but when Kelly Clarkson finally came face-to-face with a diamond sparkler and a proposal, the singer was still moved to tears.
"It was a proper proposal -- very romantic," a source close to the singer told Us Weekly. "And yes, she cried!"
Clarkson, 30, hasn't been able to hold back her excitement since the Dec. 14 proposal.
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"I'm engaged! I wanted y'all to know!" she shared with her Twitter fans one day later. "Happiest night of my life."
Her now-fiance, Blackstock, had been working with Beverly Hills jeweler Johnathon Arndt for months to design the perfect ring for his country gal in secret.
The result?
A stunning radiant-cut 6-carat canary diamond that Blackstock, 36, used to pop the question in Nashville, where the couple share a home.
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"Kelly had a rough start with love, for sure, and a long dry spell," a friend of the "Stronger" singer said. "But Brandon was worth the wait."
Added another source: "She honestly thought she'd never find anyone and that she'd be single forever. But she's changed. You can see it in how great she looks and how happy she is."
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And despite previously joking that she and Blackstock, the son of Clarkson's manager and Reba McEntire's stepson, may elope, Clarkson is now looking forward to having a big fete, pals say.
"[She] wants to go all-out," a friend told Us. "She'll keep it country, though."
This article originally appeared on Usmagazine.com: Kelly Clarkson "Cried" When Brandon Blackstock Proposed