Inside TikTok Star Lexi Hensler's Beach Proposal and Destination Wedding Plans: 'Complete Bliss' (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Justice Shepard and Lexi Hensler.Photo:Beth Mikeska

Beth Mikeska

TikToker Lexi Hensler is engaged!

The social media star, 27, got engaged to video creator Justice Shepard, 24, on Dec. 2 at Leolani Cove in Kauai, Hawaii.

The couple announced the news on Dec. 12 via Instagram posts featuring photos of their romantic beach proposal at sunset. “WE’RE ENGAGED! I get to marry my best friend😭💍🥹🥂✨🥳,” Hensler wrote inher post, while her fiancé captionedhis own post: “Our first date lasted 4 days, but forever sounds even better💍🥂.”

Justice Shepard and Lexi Hensler.Beth Mikeska

Hensler, who has 10.4 million followers on TikTok, documented the hours before her engagement. She revealed how she saw the surprise proposal coming. The first clue came before the trip. Her hotel, 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay, offered her a free photo shoot session. But she knew this wasn’t typical content creation because she briefly saw an email between the hotel and her boyfriend about it.

“On our flight to Hawaii, Justice opened up his laptop next to me, and the first page that popped up was his email to the hotel asking for help with the proposal,” Hensler tells PEOPLE. “I spent the entire flight giddy with excitement — I’ve been ready to say ‘yes’ to him since the day we met!”

Hensler detailed other clues that confirmed her suspicions.

Justice Shepard and Lexi Hensler.Justice Shepard and Lexi Hensler.Justice Shepard and Lexi Hensler.PHOTO:Beth MikeskaJustice Shepard and Lexi Hensler.PHOTO:Beth Mikeska

Justice Shepard and Lexi Hensler.Justice Shepard and Lexi Hensler.

Justice Shepard and Lexi Hensler.

Justice Shepard and Lexi Hensler.PHOTO:Beth MikeskaJustice Shepard and Lexi Hensler.PHOTO:Beth Mikeska

“Get ready with me to get engaged!” the bride-to-be begana GRWM TikTok videoin which she applied her makeup and picked out her outfit. She told her followers that upon arrival, Shepard was being “gushy and mushy” toward her, even filming her at times.

“My heart is, like, pounding. I’m about to cry. Keep it together, Lexi. Keep it together,” Hensler said in her video. “Fully know what’s happening. I don’t think he knows that I know what’s happening, but I know that it’s happening … So excited and nervous!”

Hensler madea second videodocumenting moments from the “dream trip” in which she pondered whether or not Shepard would pop the question. “Is he proposing or did my mom suggest I get my nails done before…👀,” she asked in the video. She even filmed a clip of Shepard in which the ring box was prominently bulging out of his back pocket.

Lexi Hensler and Justice Shepard.Beth Mikeska

“On the day of the proposal, as we walked down to the beach together, I was so quiet, trying not to give away that I already knew what was about to happen,” Hensler tells PEOPLE.

Shepard popped the question with a custom diamond ring with nods to their first date.

“This summer, we decided to go ring shopping and our goal was to design a custom ring together. After getting a good idea of what I liked, Justice took over and worked on creating a ring that told our love story,” Hensler says.

After Hensler said “yes,” she and her fiancé “were in complete bliss.” They took some photos together before heading to their favorite sushi restaurant where they shared the news with a few close friends and family members over FaceTime. They then put their phones away to enjoy being present in the special moment, just the two of them.

Justice Shepard and Lexi Hensler.Lexi Hensler’s custom engagement ring.Justice Shepard and Lexi Hensler.PHOTO:Beth MikeskaLexi Hensler’s custom engagement ring.PHOTO:Beth Mikeska

Justice Shepard and Lexi Hensler.Lexi Hensler’s custom engagement ring.

Lexi Hensler’s custom engagement ring.

Justice Shepard and Lexi Hensler.PHOTO:Beth MikeskaLexi Hensler’s custom engagement ring.PHOTO:Beth Mikeska

“[We] spent the night soaking in every moment of being newly engaged,” Hensler says.

She adds: “We didn’t share anything on social media until after we got back from our trip — it felt so special to keep it just between us for a little while.”

Now, the pair are already diving into wedding planning.

“We are on the hunt to find the perfect place for a destination wedding,” Hensler says. “We want a location that is special to us, where we can create an intimate celebration with our closest family and friends.”

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It was practically love at first sight for Hensler and Shepard, who first crossed paths at an NFT party. Shortly after meeting, Shepard asked Hensler to go out to lunch with him that weekend. At the date, the two hit it off — so much so that they immediately went on an unplanned four-day getaway together.

“An hour into nonstop talking on our date, I suggested we do something spontaneous,” Hensler recalls. “We both felt a very strong, immediate connection and although we just met, we took off to Las Vegas from Los Angeles. Embarking on a five-hour road trip with a stranger was probably crazy, and potentially awkward, but we didn’t think twice.”

She continues: “We checked into a hotel, took some tequila shots, and Justice ended up getting his first tattoo (a giraffe on his thigh). We went dancing at a club and then made our way to the top of the Strat building, where he put on French music and we spent hours slow dancing and stargazing.”

They didn’t want the moment to end. “The next morning, neither one of us was ready for the date to end, so we just kept going — first to Laguna Beach and then to San Diego,” Hensler recalls. “Our first date ended up being an unforgettable four-day adventure, and we’ve been inseparable since.”

source: people.com