26-Year-Old Falls in Love with Man 20 Years Older. He Proposed at ‘Gossip Girl’ Spot in Nod to Her Favorite Show (Exclusive)

Wilson Caton had already bought the VIP tickets and hired a photographer when his grand plans of proposing on the observation deck at Rockefeller Center in New York City last winter were foiled.

“It was really cold and windy. So, they just pretty much canceled it all,” the 46-year-old entrepreneur from a borough of Richmond, Va., tells PEOPLE. But his romantic machinations to propose to his then-girlfriend, Amelia Harding, who is 20 years younger, didn’t end there.

The next day, on Dec. 9, he took Harding to the Metropolitan Museum of Art before they walked to nearby Central Park. Specifically, Caton sought out the iconic spot, Bethesda Terrace, where Gossip Girl‘s Chuck and Blair got married.

The teen drama series from the 2000s just happens to be Harding’s favorite. It’s a show she bonded over with Caton’s 21-year-old daughter when they first arrived in N.Y.C.

Harding says it wasn’t a total surprise when her boyfriend proposed. “I can be a little bit of a control freak, so I was kind of glad to know,” the 26-year-old bridal stylist says. Even though another man proposed just minutes before Caton got down on one knee, it was a special moment.

“He’s a good listener and we just make each other laugh all the time,” she says. “He is a really romantic guy, which I think is kind of rare.”

The pair first met through an online dating app in September. Their first date lasted for nine hours straight. “I honestly feel like it was a love-at-first-sight situation,” says Harding. “It was definitely an instant, fiery connection.” 

Even though Caton describes himself as a bit of an introvert, he found it easy to talk to her. They connected over their shared love of fitness, their vegan lifestyle and the fact that they can be silly with each other.

“I love the banter back and forth,” he says. “You could tell she was able to be vulnerable pretty quickly.”

By their fourth date, Harding said “I love you” and Caton asked her to be his girlfriend by arranging a 100 roses himself. He couldn’t find a vase big enough, so he bought a bucket from Home Depot.

“It was very sweet,” says Harding with a smile.

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Not long after that, she introduced her boyfriend to her younger brother. “Both my parents are gone, so my brother is my closest family,” she says. “I was really nervous to tell him because of the age difference.”

While her brother was hesitant at first, he quickly warmed up to Caton and told Harding that her partner was like the older brother he never had. Caton’s two children, his daughter and 18-year-old son, were also quickly accepting of Harding, though she admits their close ages made her anxious about the first meeting.

“I’m just hoping for a best friend relationship with them going forward,” she says. While Caton’s mom was worried that Harding was “potentially using” him, her fears were instantly dispelled when she met Harding. She spent Christmas with Caton and his family last year, to great success. “We had a really fun Christmas and everybody got to know each other,” says Caton.

“I think people just have preconceived thoughts about what an age-gap relationship looks like,” says Harding. “But we’re normal. So, anyone who meets us or sees us interact as a couple is immediately on board.” 

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Their wedding is scheduled for next February at Dover Hall, a castle-like estate in Manakin-Sabot, Va., where they took their engagement photos (shot by Kaitlyn Burdette Photography). There will be 150 guests at the “dark botanical” themed event, which will have a fully vegan menu.

“Because I’m wedding-industry adjacent, we’re going pretty over the top,” says Harding. Her brother will be a groomsman and Caton’s daughter will be a bridesmaid. 

“As long as she’s happy and getting the wedding that she wants,” says Caton with a smile, “I am going to be there.”