Scotty McCreery and his longtime girlfriend Gabi Dugal are engaged. The singer asked for her hand in marriage on Tuesday (Sept. 26) during a hike up their favorite North Carolina mountain. They'll get married in 2018.

The proposal took place near Grandfather mountain. The “Five More Minutes” singer suggested they hike up their favorite trail, and once at the top, he dropped to a knee and revealed a ring he helped design.

McCreery says it was a moment he was planning for quite awhile, calling Gabi his “true love.”

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Previously the country singer talked about how friends had been starting to pressure him to pop the question, and going to about eight weddings in a year didn’t help. At a July wedding, Dugal even caught the bride’s bouquet!

"My fans instantly embraced Gabi once they learned we were dating and have always been loving towards her,” McCreery says in a statement to the press. “When she graduated college last year, many of them brought me gifts for her at my shows and book signings. I will always appreciate their kindness to her.”

The couple met in kindergarten and started dating about six years ago when they were seniors at Garner High School in Garner, N.C. She’s been in several music videos, but he downplayed their romance until she was comfortable with it. In July he told Taste of Country Nights about introducing her to friends, including famous ones like Luke Bryan.

“I’m introducing all my friends and … ‘Hey, this is my girlfriend Gabi (pronounced Ga-BEE),'” McCreery says. “And he’s like, ‘Hey Debbie.'”

Dugal graduated from University of North Carolina and works as a pediatric cardiac nurse at Duke University Hospital. McCreery is a North Carolina State University graduate. No additional details about the wedding have been revealed other than it’s set for 2018.

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