Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani recently made it official, announcing their engagement after five years of dating. Shelton has definitely grown close with Stefani's three sons, Kingston, 14, Zuma, 12, and Apollo, 6 from her marriage to Gavin Rossdale during the years they've been together, so it's not surprising that he would consult them before his proposal. Not only did Shelton include the boys in his surprise proposal but he also made sure to ask them for their permission first before he popped the question.

The unlikely duo met on the set of The Voice where they are featured coaches at a time when both were going through painful breakups. Stefani had just separated from her then-husband Gavin Rossdale amid a messy cheating scandal and Shelton had just split from fellow country artist Miranda Lambert. The duo quickly became formed a friendship that eventually turned romantic and as a result, Shelton and Stefani's children began to grow close.

Related: Gwen Stefani Shares A Rare Shout-Out & Photo Of Her Son On His Birthday

Shelton and his future step-sons are so close that he asked them for their permission before asking Stefani to marry him. "Blake told her boys that he wanted to propose and asked their permission," a source told PEOPLE. "Her family very much approves of him. He's an amazing partner and a great extra dad to the boys. Gwen is ecstatic. The proposal was a surprise."

Shelton opened up about his relationship with the boys and the impact he has on them as a role model in an interview with TODAY saying, "That’s a scary moment for me because it’s one thing for me to be with the kids all the time and be their buddy, but you do have to consider after a while that they start to listen to things that you say and there’s a lot of responsibility that comes with that."

 

Kingston, Zuma, and Apollo weren't the only members of Stefani's family that Shelton asked permission from.  “Blake had the ring custom-designed, and asked permission from her dad before asking Gwen,” a source told Us Weekly. “It meant so much to Gwen that Blake was so traditional about it.”

The source also said that fans may have to wait a bit for the sweet couple to officially tie the knot. “Gwen knows she is blessed and wants to have the wedding as soon as social distancing guidelines are lifted.” Let's all hope that's sooner than later!

Read Next: Gavin Rossdale Shares How He & Gwen Stefani Co-Parenting During Global Crisis

Source: PEOPLETODAYUs Weekly