Ashton Pienaar Announced His Engagement to His Girlfriend Sarah: “SHE SAID YES!”

Ashton Pienaar is embarking on an exciting new adventure. Following an emotional airport proposal, the Below Deck alum announced his engagement to his girlfriend, Sarah, via Instagram on September 27.
 
“SHE SAID YES!” he captioned the sweet photo and video montage, adding an engagement ring emoji. In the video, a voice could be heard over the music, saying, “You’ve arrived at your destination.”

In his post, he directly addressed his bride-to-be, who tearfully accepted his proposal after he got down on one knee in the busy terminal. “From here on out, it’s you and me — taking on life’s challenges and succeeding together,” Ashton wrote to the Raleigh, North Carolina–based interior designer. “My love and respect for you grows with every passing day. I am honored to call you my [fiancée]!”

Elsewhere in the caption, Ashton, who now works as a fitness trainer, explained how the happy news was the culmination of his path to self-improvement. “Over the last [five] years, my life’s journey has been really all over the place,” he wrote in part. “I’ve shaken things up, put myself out there, done hard work on myself, and peeled back my layers. I followed my personal mantra of having security in the unknown, and kept faith that if I remained true to myself and put in the work, good things would come my way. I did this all for the sake of establishing a better, more fulfilling life for myself…”

Of course, his Below Deck family was quick to chime in with congratulatory messages in the comments section. They included Tanner Sterback, Below Deck Mediterranean’s João Franco and Anastasia Surmava, Below Deck Sailing Yacht’s Ciara Duggan, and Madison Simon, who appeared on both Southern Charm and Below Deck Season 7. “Congratulations my friend! Happy for you and all you have accomplished. Much love! Yeewww,” Tanner wrote.

Austin’s aforementioned self-reflection journey very well could have begun following the Below Deck Season 7 reunion, during which he tearfully apologized to chief stew Kate Chastain for his behavior.

“I’m making serious changes in my life because I’m not proud of the person I saw on camera that night. And I am extremely sorry,” he said. “What hurts me the most is I know I’m not that person. I know my behavior showed that, and I know that I need to take responsibility for that. Whatever the lesson is in this that I have to learn, I am learning. I know what I need to change, and I will be better for it.”

Two and a half years later, he has his fiancée by his side, and here’s hoping they go the distance.

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