'Bachelorette' Ashley Anxious to Start 'Normal Life' with J.P.

"The Bachelorette"'s Ashley Hebert tells ET that the proposal by J.P. on last night's show was beautiful and sweet, but she admitted it "really killed" her to turn down another proposal by Ben.

Ashley said the ceremony couldn't have been more romantic. "It was beautiful. I mean everything was in place, everything was right, the sunset was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. It was timed so perfectly -- I think we'll never forget that." J.P. said he rehearsed his proposal speech "for hours and hours" to get it right, but in the end he felt the moment turned out "perfect."

J.P. said his decision to go with the stunning Neil Lane engagement ring he chose was not that hard: "All the rings were beautiful, but this one jumped out pretty much right away. So not a lot of thought because I think I knew this was the one she was going to like."

When asked about the difficulty many reality couples have staying together, Ashley said she thinks she and J.P. already have a good foundation. "I really think that the show does one of two things: it either brings people closer together or it doesn't work out. In a way it can tear people apart. For us I think it brought us together. I think we learned really quickly how to make a relationship work and how to communicate and get through issues and problems." For his part, J.P. said he definitely feels that they have weathered the hardest part of their relationship.

On her rejection of Ben's heartfelt proposal, Ashley said it was very difficult. "That was really hard and I don't think people will ever understand how much that really killed me to do that to such a great guy. But I know that good things are up ahead for him and I don't worry about that. It was the hardest day, I would say. It was kind of a bittersweet day."

The couple has not yet set a wedding day but Ashley said she's excited to be moving to New York to be with J.P. and she's looking forward to "heading under the radar to start a normal life."