Couple's Love Story Comes Full Circle with Proposal at Gym Where They Met 8 Years Ago (Exclusive)

Eight years after they met at the gym, a couple returned to the very same place to take their relationship to the next level.

Karissa Frey-Woroniak, 27, and Jesse Hester, 30, first crossed paths at their local Planet Fitness in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, in March 2018, when Hester was a member service representative and Frey-Woroniak was a gym member. Their relationship came full circle this year on April 4 when Hester proposed at the same club after hours.

"That day and night truly felt like a dream and one of the best moments of my entire life," says Hester, who is now a Planet Fitness club manager.

Even though Frey-Woroniak is "pretty hard to surprise," Hester fooled her by convincing her that they were going on a double date with their friends, Tyler and Karely, the latter of whom encouraged her to get dolled up.

"I honestly had no idea that this was happening," Frey-Woroniak tells PEOPLE.

Before their 8:30 p.m. "dinner reservations," Hester told Frey-Woroniak that he "needed to check on something at the gym." Because that "wasn’t out of the ordinary," Frey-Woroniak "didn’t question it."

"When I pulled up to the gym, my heart was definitely racing," Hester remembers. "I told Karissa to wait in the car as I was just running in to 'check on our maintenance guy.' I was really going to make sure everything was set up, grab the ring which I had hidden in my office, and compose myself for a moment."

The groom-to-be had the full support of his Planet Fitness team, who decked out the gym with candles, rose petals, and a heart-shaped flower display. Hester spent two months planning and setting the romantic scene, with Tyler helping to find the perfect proposal spot amid the exercise equipment. Tyler and Hester's friend Daniel, who is the assistant manager, were on video duty while Colin, a morning shift employee, took photos.

"They were super excited to be a part of this big milestone in my life as they have both been there since the start of mine and Karissa’s relationship," Hester says.

Hester was both "nervous" and "super excited" to pop the question.

"I pulled myself together to go back out and tell Karissa it was going to be a few minutes, and with her knowing our maintenance guy, [I told her] he wanted to say hello," Hester explains. "Once I walked her in and she noticed something was going on, I could feel her excitement and that immediately put me at ease."

Frey-Woroniak realized what was happening when she spotted Tyler videotaping.

"I had all these thoughts that ran through my mind at once: 'Oh my gosh, does my hair look alright? Do I look alright? Is this really happening?,' " she says. "A moment I had been waiting for was finally here, and I couldn’t have been happier with the way Jesse planned everything out."

Hester proposed on bended knee after sharing a "sweet" prepared speech.

"When he got down on one knee and said, 'Will you marry me?' I literally jumped for joy at the opportunity to say the easiest 'yes' of my life," recalls Frey-Woroniak, whom Hester used to refer to as "the cute girl with glasses" when talking to his coworkers.

She continues, "I couldn’t wait to call my friends and family and tell them the exciting news. That night still replays in my head, and I can’t believe I now get to marry my best friend."

Although the gym rats instantly hit it off when they met, with Frey-Woroniak admiring her now-fiancé's "welcoming energy" and Hester being drawn to her "super upbeat and bubbly" positive attitude, it wasn't until a year later on June 6, 2019, that they made their relationship official. That day, Hester took Frey-Woroniak on a painting picnic date in the park and wrote on a paint brush, "Will U Be My Girlfriend?"

Because Planet Fitness brought the pair together and has remained a constant in their relationship, Hester knew it would be the perfect place to propose.

"Not only was it where we first met, but a lot of my fondest memories with Karissa are within those four walls," he says. "Whether we were working, working out, or just enjoying each other’s company in the parking lot listening to music, the Nazareth Planet Fitness was a special place for us both. I went back and forth for over six months coming up with different proposal ideas, maybe to do it at the beach or on an upcoming cruise to Bermuda, but my heart told me to do it where we first met, at the gym."