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!