“Riverdale” Star Vanessa Morgan Is Engaged to Basketball Player James Karnik: 'Best Christmas Present Ever' (Exclusive)

Vanessa Morgan is engaged!

The Riverdale alum, 32, said yes to Canadian professional basketball player James Karnik on Saturday, Dec. 21, at Glow Langley in Canada.

"James knows how much I love Christmas, especially all the festive lights, so he took me to the Langley Glow Light Festival," Morgan tells PEOPLE. "We were walking around, and I honestly thought he was going to propose on Christmas morning, so it came as a complete shock when it happened."

She continues: "James had just injured his foot — we weren't sure if it was a break or a sprain at the time, but he was on crutches. I asked him if he was sure he wanted to walk around on crutches, and he said, 'For you, I’ll do it. I know how much you love this.' It seemed a little suspicious, but I didn’t think much of it."

A photographer followed the couple incognito, wearing a baseball cap and all black.

"Then, in the middle of all the lights and people, James put down his crutches to 'adjust his shoe,' and that’s when I started to suspect something was up," the actress says. "He dropped his crutches, got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him."

The couple's sweet nighttime proposal was illuminated by twinkling Christmas lights. Just as sparkling was the rock that Karnik gave his fiancée.

The "Custom Secret Butterfly Garden Ring" from Brilliant Earth has a 4.64-carat, oval-cut lab-grown diamond with a 14K rose gold twisted band. It also features white and blue marquise-cut diamonds shaped like butterflies.

"When I saw the ring, it was just stunning, and in that magical moment, with the lights all around us, it felt like the best Christmas present ever," Morgan says.

Karnik had "a great experience" working with Brilliant Earth to design Morgan's dream ring.

“Their team helped me bring my thoughts and ideas to life to design a beautiful ring," he tells PEOPLE. "The final result created a truly unique ring based on what Vanessa loves, something she will treasure and be very special to her.”

Morgan shares daughter Kaia, who turns 5 months old on Dec. 27, with Karnik and son River, 3, with ex-husband Michael Kopech. The groom-to-be can't wait for their next chapter as a family.

“Excited for this next step in life and couldn’t be happier with the person I’m doing it with," Karnik says.

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Last month, the bride-to-be shared how she is preparing for her first Christmas as a mother of two.

"I think for Christmas we're going to go visit my partner James in Europe, which I think will be so fun and exciting," Morgan told PEOPLE. "I've seen Europe at Christmas and the little Christmas towns — I'm really big on Christmas and the holidays, so I'm excited to experience that with them overseas."

Related: Fyre Festival Planner Andy King Is Engaged and Creating a 'Magical' Scottish Wedding Celebration for 2025 (Exclusive)

This season, Morgan and Karnik plan to recreate their new favorite holiday tradition for their children.

"We started this with James last year, where the kids wake up and you put wrapping paper on either a door or the hallway entrance to the living room, so they can't see the Christmas tree," the Wild Cards star explained.

"So it's like they wake up and they have to knock down the wrapping paper to get to the room with the Christmas tree," she added.

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