Southern Hospitality's Emmy Sharrett and Will Kulp Are Engaged! 'My Best Friend and Soulmate' - suong

Emmy Sharrett and Will Kulp are taking the next step in their romance!

PEOPLE can exclusively reveal that the Southern Hospitality stars are engaged after nearly four years dating.

The proposal happened on Monday, May 5, while the pair, who met in Charleston, were on vacation, outside of Saint Tropez at the Lily of the Valley Hotel. They had traveled to the South of France for a getaway during Kulp's break from studying law at the University of South Carolina.

"I love everything about Will," a blissful Sharrett, 27, tells PEOPLE of Kulp, who she met in F45 gym when he was her trainer. "I love the way he loves, I love how he thinks, I love his intelligence, his family. I love how hardworking and determined he is. I love that we have the same birthday, I love the way he says my name and I love waking up next to him."

"He is my best friend and soulmate," she adds. "I love that we get to spend the rest of our lives together."

Kulp, who surprised Sharrett by popping the question, says he "couldn't be happier" how their engagement turned out.

"I wanted everything to be perfect for Emmy. She is the most important person in my world," Kulp, 31, says. "Emmy has been my rock and my cheerleader for the past 4 years, and she has carried me through the challenges of law school. She is my best friend and the love of my life. She has shown me how to see the world in new ways."

"Emmy has taught me so much about being joyful, optimistic, and kind," he continues. "I love her childish wonder and her sense of humor. I love her eye for a good meal and her desire for adventure. I love the way she loves me. I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with her."

Photographer Elia Kuhn captured the sweet moment Kulp dropped to one knee. Turns out, he had secretly hired the shutterbug to spy from afar.

"Will had made dinner reservations at the hotel’s restaurant and told me he wanted take pictures of me at sunset," Sharrett recalls. "In reality he had spent a while during his law school exams organizing a photographer with the hotel."

They were on the beach and steps from the water when Kulp proposed.

It was a tearful occasion for both. "Will had a whole speech prepared and struggled to get through it before he just started crying, which of course sent me into tears," Sharrett says. "All I remember him saying is 'you’re my best friend, I love you so much.' "

Through the cries, he presented a ring that featured an emerald-cut diamond on a gold band.

The custom-made bling was designed by Kulp in collaboration with Sharrett's mom, who owns a jewelry company, CB Jewelry. "The ring is extra special because both of our mothers have emerald cut engagement rings," Sharrett says.

Both were dressed to the nines for the happy occasion, too. Sharrett wore an earth-toned dress with spaghetti straps and gold sequin accents. She accessorized the look with gold jewelry and chunky tan heels.

Her husband-to-be embraced the summery aesthetic in white pants, a short-sleeve button-down knit blue top and brown loafers.

"I had a hunch it was going to happen because Will had been acting funny all day and he was abnormally concerned about our outfits," Sharrett says, noting the location and timing were "perfect."

"I wouldn’t change a thing," she says. "It was so beautiful."

Kulp feels the same way. "After countless hours of planning, I couldn't be happier with how our engagement turned out," he says.

Bravo viewers first met Sharrett and Kulp when Southern Hospitality premiered on the network in November 2022. The show, a spin-off of Southern Charm, following the staff of Leva Bonaparte's Charleston hot spot Republic, was recently renewed for its fourth season.

It's unclear whether Sharrett and Kulp will be returning to the series for its new season, which has yet to begin filming. He skipped the season 3 reunion as their romance found its way into the hot seat.

"The two most important things in my life are my relationship and what’s left of my legal career after this," Kulp said during a March 2025 appearance on The Viall Files, when asked about returning to Southern Hospitality. "I just don’t see reality TV as a format where relationships thrive."