Fox News' Jacqui Heinrich Gets Engaged to Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick in Lavender Field in Provence (Exclusive)
Eny Thérèse Fox News senior White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich is engaged to republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick The journalist tells PEOPLE that Fitzpatrick proposed in the middle of a lavender field in Valensole, France, on June 29 "It's a memory that will be seared into my brain for life. It felt like a fairy tale," she says of the proposal Fox News' Jacqui Heinrich is engaged. The 36-year-old senior White House correspondent said "yes" to republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick in a romantic proposal in France, on June 29. Heinrich tells PEOPLE that the Pennsylvania congressman, 51, popped the question at sunrise in the middle of a lavender field in Valensole, a picturesque hilltop town in Provence. Heinrich says the seeds for Fitzpatrick's proposal plan were first planted last year, when she revealed in aBoston Globeinterview that it was her long-held dream to take a trip to the French Riviera "to eat the baguettes, see the lavender fields, drink the wine and eat the butter." Fitzpatrick "paid attention," and booked a trip to France as a birthday present for Heinrich. "He said, 'I'm going to take you this summer to the South of France,' " she recalls. Eny Thérèse While the couple had an ambitious itinerary of "bucket list" sights they wanted to hit, they knew their long-awaited trip was likely to be cut short at any moment due to Fitzpatrick needing to fly back to Washington, D.C., for the signing of The One Big Beautiful Bill. In light of this, Heinrich asked Fitzpatrick if he wanted to postpone the getaway — and that's when she got her first inkling that he had something more up his sleeve. "He was like, 'We are going. We're going to the lavender fields. All I want is to see the lavender fields at sunrise,' " she recounts, joking, "All the time I've known this man, he has never been desperate to see a field of flowers at dawn. So I had a feeling that [a proposal] was a goal." After first arriving in Nice, the couple left at 1:30 in the morning on Sunday, June 29, and drove more than two hours to Valensole so they could be there before dawn. At one point, Fitzpatrick slammed on the brakes and said to Heinrich, "Alright, this field looks good. Why don't you walk out into that field and I'll take some pictures of you." Eny Thérèse As she strolled, taking in the seemingly endless purple landscape, a photographer suddenly popped up from within the rows of lavender, and a drone flew overhead, ready to capture the moment. Fitzpatrick asked Heinrich to marry him, presenting a ring he selected from the journalist's long-time family jeweler in Portland, Maine. The sparkler features a brilliant-cut round diamond solitaire on a six-prong platinum setting with a yellow gold band. "He didn't ask for any help from me or anyone I know. So I was really surprised he got it spot-on. What I could have asked for, dreamed up myself, he did without even asking," Heinrich, who joined Fox News in September 2018 and also serves as co-host ofThe FOX News Rundownpodcast, says. "It's really beautiful," she says, adding of the proposal: "Brian did such an amazing job. I'm so impressed with him." Eny Thérèse "It was so breathtaking," she adds of the setting amid the lavender blooms. "The smell was just so fragrant. It's a memory that will be seared into my brain for life. It's hard to even put into words just how gorgeous it really was. It felt like a fairy tale." To celebrate the moment, Heinrich and Fitzpatrick waited for a coffee shop to open and enjoyed an espresso together. The couple then decided to make the most of their time — they ultimately had just under 48 hours in France before Fitzpatrick had to head back to D.C. — and drove to St. Tropez, where they had brunch at the Byblos Beach Club. From there, they went on to Cannes. "In less than 48 hours, we saw all of the cities we wanted to see during the whole 10 days we were supposed to be there," Heinrich says. "It was honestly so memorable. I'll never forget it." Eny Thérèse They shared the big news with family and friends later that day. Heinrich's dad was already in on the secret, as Fitzpatrick had flown to New Hampshire to ask for his blessing ahead of the proposal. "My dad teared up on the phone," she recalls. Fitzpatrick's parents, who are in their 90s, were "so overjoyed." Heinrich tells PEOPLE she recently bought a new house, so the couple plans to throw a joint housewarming and engagement party soon. Reflecting on what she loves most about Fitzpatrick — a former FBI special agent and federal prosecutor who was reelected to his fifth congressional term in 2024 — Heinrich tells PEOPLE that he is "the most principled, thoughtful and brilliant person I know." "I love his brain," she continues. "I love the way he approaches problem-solving and solving complex issues. He's strong and a man of faith, who brings me closer to God. He's sweet and gentle and kind — all of the easy qualities in a person that just make him a joy to be around and life brighter." Eny Thérèse In their rare downtime, the couple — whose first date was attending the Kennedy Center Honors in 2021 — enjoy visiting family and traveling. "We love to see different cultural sights and experience the rest of the world because we're both pretty dialed into what's happening in Washington all the time with our jobs," Heinrich notes. Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. While they haven't begun to dive into wedding planning just yet, they do know that they want to have a Catholic church ceremony. And it will likely be a big wedding, as Patrick has a very large extended family, including seven siblings (his eighth sibling, brother Mike, died of cancer in 2020). "It will be great," she predicts. "We're really excited to celebrate." Read the original article onPeople
Fox News' Jacqui Heinrich Gets Engaged to Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick in Lavender Field in Provence (Exclusive) Eny Thérèse Fox News senior W...
