The “Real Housewives of New York City” alumna gave followers a glimpse into her proposal after getting backlash for showing off her flashy ring on Instagram
Bethenny Frankel is revealing intimate details of her 2021 engagement, two years later.
The Real Housewives of New York City alumna, 52, shared the story of her romantic February 2021 proposal from fiancé Paul Bernon on Instagram on Sunday.
Frankel wrote that she and Bernon, 45, stayed at Little Palm Island, a small private hotel on an island in the Florida Keys, where he proposed during a sunset dinner.
“He walked me to a beautiful private table on the beach, as private and romantic as a fantasy date on The Bachelor,” she wrote. “The intimate details of the story are private but it was a beautiful proposal, in a beautiful setting, with a beautiful ring, to a beautiful man.”
She also wrote that the couple was able to keep their engagement under wraps for a few months before she was photographed wearing her ring.
“It was nice to have our secret be our own for months,” she wrote in the post. “It just didn’t feel appropriate to us to make an announcement.”
The Skinnygirl founder also gushed about her fiancé in her post, writing that she and her family are “so lucky” to have him.
“He is a loving, beautiful, generous, kind, funny and smart good man who we love with all of our hearts,” she continued.
The sweet story comes less than a week after Frankel shared an Instagram Reel showing off her massive engagement ring, which later sparked controversy.
She gave followers the first clear view of the ring, which features a large emerald-cut diamond with two smaller diamonds on each side. She has since removed the video, as some viewers criticized her for flaunting her wealth and being “showy.”
Frankel took to the comment section to defend herself before she removed the post, responding to many who didn’t agree with the video that was intended to be a lighthearted, funny post.
“Sorry you’re jealous. Feel better,” she wrote. “But 👏👏👏 for the engagement. You’re buying me another ring.”
Despite that, Frankel shared a close-up photo of the rock in her Instagram post about the proposal.
Frankel and Bernon, who is a film producer, met on a dating app in 2018, and split for a short time in 2020, but have been going strong ever since.
“He came as advertised — better than advertised. He overshot the mark,” Frankel told in 2021 of her love.
Frankel was previously married to Jason Hoppy, with whom she shares daughter Bryn, 13.
Though she’s happy with Bernon, the reality star recently said wedding planning isn’t moving along quite yet.
“I don’t know when we’ll get married,” she told Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live in December 2022. “I’m happily in a partnership and I love him so much but I don’t want to plan a wedding.”