Lauren Conrad had no indication that William Tell was planning to pop the question in mid-October. Covering the January 2014 issue of Cosmopolitan, the 27-year-old fashion designer reveals that she "had no idea" the University of Southern California student was ready to get engaged. "I thought he would wait until he finished law school," Conrad says.
Even the ex-reality star's pals were kept in the dark about Tell's proposal plans. In fact, the former Something Corporate rocker didn't even consult her closest confidants when he picked out an engagement ring. "He didn't even ask my friends, which was a bold move," Conrad tells the mag. "He said, 'I know you, and I know what you like.' And I love it. It's perfect."
The two have yet to set a date, but the former Hills star isn't worried. In fact, she's just happy to have found a nice guy after years of dating bad boys.
"You have the rest of your life to be married. Enjoy falling in love. When girls get caught up in the timeline, it becomes more about the wedding than the marriage," says Conrad, who also starred in MTV's Laguna Beach. "You should be with someone with whom you could elope this weekend and be happy."
How did Conrad know she found The One in Tell, 33? "William hates it when I say this, but he really is a very nice guy, and when you meet a nice guy who also manages to keep your interest, that is the dream," she says. "If you're going to settle down, it should be with someone you can't stop thinking about. Especially if you're in your 20s. If I was single in my 60s, I would totally settle. I would!"
Conrad often advised her costars not to settle, particularly when they dated well-known heartbreakers. "Being on television all those years, I got to view my own behavior," she recalls. "One thing I realized is that I was too hard on my friends when it came to guys. Instinctually, I wanted to protect them. But then you come off as judge-y and people are reluctant to come to you with a problem. I had to cut 'I told you so' from my vocabulary."