NBC News Correspondent Savannah Sellers Is Engaged to Alex Yaraghi: 'An Epic Surprise'

Khoa Photography

Savannah Sellers has found her happily ever after with Alex Yaraghi!

The NBC News correspondent, 29, and Yaraghi, a 32-year-old investment analyst at Cohen and Steers Capital Management, got engaged on Friday, PEOPLE can exclusively reveal.

"He said it was in a tent on the cliffs at Torrey Pines. I had an idea something was up but didn't want to let myself fully believe it," Sellers, who initially believed that they were visiting her native San Diego, California, to attend the US Open and go to a cocktail party later that night, tells PEOPLE.

"When we got there and there was no tent, I finally started to let myself think it might be happening! We were at the cliffs at Torrey Pines, which is a beach we love and have hiked many times with our families. He asked if I was ready and then got down on one knee! He had a photographer capture the whole thing," she explains.

Sellers continues, "When I saw the ring (from David S. Diamonds), I was shook. We had a few minutes just us and then our siblings ran down the beach. It was so special to have them there. My sister was sobbing, which was so sweet. After that, we headed back home and I was told his parents were at my house now, too. They suggested we stop to take a celebratory shot outdoors at the golf clubhouse next door to my parents' house."

Khoa Photography

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To her shock, a surprise party was arranged to celebrate the couple's relationship milestone. The pair's friends had even flown in from all over the country, which is something that Sellers says she was also "so moved" by.

"It turned out Alex had actually planned an entire weekend! Everyone, us included, stayed at a hotel nearby and we had a big beach day and dinners planned," reveals Sellers, who is the youngest anchor at NBC News and is host of Stay Tuned.

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Khoa Photography

Khoa Photography

"Alex thought of every detail. Music was played in a specific order he picked out throughout the party, everyone got welcome bags with our names and the date at check in, he had a whole itinerary made that even had a riddle on it he wrote," she continues. "It almost felt like this was the wedding! He and my family pulled off such an epic surprise. My mom did all the decorations and it was beautiful, and I'm so grateful we were able to have a safe party now that we've all been vaccinated and restrictions were lifted in California."

The cliffs at Torrey Pines have "been so special" to the couple's families for years, which is why Yaraghi believes they made "the perfect place" for them to get engaged.

"Anyone who knows Savannah also knows she wants everyone around at all times, so I knew we had to have our closest friends and family there immediately after," he tells PEOPLE. "Her parents helped me with this and we threw the party of a lifetime."

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Khoa Photography

Courtesy Savannah Sellers

Sellers and Yaraghi met at Spaniard, a bar in New York City's West Village, on Sept. 16, 2017. "We went on a date three days later (that he now calls 'the interview') and have pretty much been inseparable ever since," says Sellers.

"It always just felt so easy with us. There were no games and there was no stress, just someone who immediately felt like my partner," she adds. "He felt like home. I keep saying, 'I can't believe we just met at a bar and now we're getting married!'"

Khoa Photography Savannah Sellers and Alex Yaraghi

Courtesy Savannah Sellers

While the lovebirds don't have any concrete plans for their nuptials just yet, they are considering having a destination wedding in Italy.

Looking ahead, "I am most excited about experiencing all of life together," says Yaraghi, who is from Hagerstown, Maryland. "We are both just so grateful for the incredibly supportive friends and family in our life that make it so much fun! Savannah is such a special person in so many ways and I feel so lucky to have met her by chance."

The groom-to-be adds, "Our shared love for our family, our careers, our friends, our home, our little dog Lucy and an all-around good time gives us a lot to look forward to."