Below Deck Med’s Anastasia Surmava Spills Engagement Details – ‘My Heart Was Just Racing’ [Exclusive]
A chance meeting through Instagram became destiny for Below Deck Mediterranean‘s Anastasia Surmava. Surmava and model Will Higginson announced their engagement and she shared all the engagement (and wedding) details exclusively with Showbiz Cheat Sheet.
The former yachtie connected with Higginson on Instagram a little more than a year ago while traveling in South Africa.
Surmava recalled that Higginson took her friend out on a date first, but their connection was undeniable. After a night of hanging out with friends, she could tell they were no longer in the friendzone.
“He picked me up on a scooter on the way home, and he reached out and touch my leg,” she recalled. “This was after a week of hanging out, which I thought we were totally platonic. It was like, ‘You like me.’ [laughs] And then, we hung out a few more times. And he just went in for the kiss. And since that moment, we’ve literally been inseparable.”
Engagement planning did not go as exactly planned
Higginson and Surmava ended up traveling to Higginson’s home in England. She met his family and he planned to return with her to the United States. “He was supposed to come to the US once he got his work visa,” she said. “Which we thought would only take four to six weeks. But little did we know it ended up actually taking five months. So we were long-distance for about five months, but he finally got his work visa, and now he lives here in Vermont with me. And he does part-time in New York City, where his modeling agency is.”
They’ve been blissfully happy and – yes – they did talk marriage. But she had no idea he was going to propose during their weekend trip with friends. “Two of my best girlfriends, they were in on [the proposal],” she shared. “They were helping him through the whole process.”
She laughed because Higginson was trying to be sly, telling her to pack a nice dress, but she dug in and refused. “I’ll bring jeans otherwise I’ll be in sweatpants,” she laughed. Meanwhile, all of her friends planned to dress up and have a big engagement celebration. “Now I understand why he wanted me to bring a dress!” she said.
Two puzzle pieces clicked in together … the ‘Below Deck’ star shares
Higginson had to shift a little for the proposal since Surmava refused to bring a dress to the getaway. She recalled how he brought her out to the balcony at the cabin and got down on one knee. “He was shaking. I was shaking,” she recalled. “We were both so nervous. I think he had planned all these things he wanted to say in his head, but it all just came jumbled.”
“And we were both just like blubbering,” she continued. “And I was like, ‘Yes! Yes!’ I think the first thing I said was, ‘Are you serious?’ Honestly, I blacked out. Like, I had to re-watch the video, I couldn’t even hear what he said. All I heard was, ‘Will you marry me?’ And I said, yes. It was just such a blur and my heart was just racing.”
She added, “But it’s funny because I didn’t have any moments of nervousness, no doubt. It just felt like when two puzzle pieces, they just click in and it’s just flush and it feels right. Yeah, that’s how it felt.”
Anastasia chose the perfect ring months earlier
Surmava shared photos of the dazzling ring on Instagram. She actually picked out the ring herself. “We accidentally went ring shopping months and months ago,” she shared. “We were in the mall and there’s this really beautiful women-owned local store called Bella Lusso. We just really clicked with this woman, Shannon. And we ended up staying there for hours, putting together rings.”
“We were all having so much fun. And he was like, ‘I’m pretty traditional, and I thought that I would always pick your ring. But I really love that we did that together.’ So he knew what I wanted, but I just didn’t know when it was going to happen,” she added.
The stone resembles a diamond, but being an environmental advocate, Surmava went with a kinder stone. “It’s actually lab-grown,” she shared. “Which is what I wanted because it’s a lot better for the environment and more affordable. And honestly, I held a lab-grown and a real diamond side by side and you really can’t tell the difference. They’re just more sustainable and there’s no blood on my hands.”
The couple plans to marry this summer
Higginson and Surmava plan to elope this summer and have their parents by their side when they exchange vows. “We’re going to elope,” she said. “His parents are coming to visit us in Vermont in July and we found a really beautiful little venue in the mountains. We’re just going to have a really small elopement with just our parents. And yeah, just keep it really small because honestly, there are a lot better things that I could spend $50,000 on. Like a house.”
“I think in a few years we’ll probably have like ceremony and a party, but we just really want to focus on building our life first, instead of throwing a big wedding. So I think it’s just very nice to keep it intimate, small and we just want our parents there,” Surmava added.
