Earlier this week, we reported that country music singer Blake Shelton had proposed to his girlfriend of five years, the singer Gwen Stefani. Now, a source is speaking out to reveal how Shelton made sure to include Stefani’s three young sons – Kingston, 14, Zuma, 12, and Apollo, 6 – in the engagement process “every step of the way.”

“Blake is very close to Gwen’s boys,” the source told Entertainment Tonight. “They talked it through and Blake made sure they were part of the excitement! Blake had a custom-made engagement ring. He knows the designer and has used them in the past to make bracelets for Gwen.”

When it came to the actual engagement, Shelton stuck to tradition and got the permission of Stefani’s father first.

“Blake’s plan to propose to Gwen began by asking her father for her hand in marriage. Gwen is very traditional so he truly felt that asking her father for approval was the proper thing to do,” the source explained. “And her father adores Blake. Gwen has been ready to tie the knot for a long time and Blake knew this was the perfect time.”

Shelton, 44, and Stefani, 51, met back in 2015 when they were both acting as coaches on “The Voice.” He proposed to her on Monday at his ranch in Oklahoma, feeling that now was the right time after five years of dating.

“Blake has been the one who wanted to take it slow in the beginning but recently he decided it was time. During the pandemic, they’ve had lots of downtime together and he truly saw the importance of spending life with the person you love,” said the source. “Gwen takes marriage very seriously and was disappointed that her first marriage [to Gavin Rossdale] didn’t work out. She wasn’t in a hurry because she wanted to ensure Blake was ready.”

“They both live incredibly busy lives and have managed to make sure they work together and spend as much time as they can together,” the insider added. “The pandemic has given them both the time they needed to slow down and just appreciate and love each other.”

This will be the third marriage for Shelton and the second for Stefani. He was previously married to Oklahoma-native Kaynette Williams and singer Miranda Lambert, while she was previously married to the singer Gavin Rossdale.