After months of basking in the glow of her engagement to Swedish hockey player William Karlsson, Emily Ferguson is in the thick of planning a lavish wedding ceremony in her native Las Vegas.

"I've dreamt about this day my entire life, ever since I was a little girl," the franchise star told BachelorNation.com in an exclusive interview, expressing her enthusiasm at becoming Mrs. Karlsson. "We've nailed down some of the most important details and I can't wait to be a bride."

So far, Emily — who accepted a romantic proposal from William in December — has chosen a venue, date, and one of two dresses for the couple’s “fairy tale” celebration.

"I want it to be very Cinderella-like," noted the blonde beauty, who appeared on "The Bachelor" Season 20 and Seasons 4 and 5 of “Bachelor in Paradise” alongside twin sister Haley Ferguson. “I want it to be so dreamy and I want it to feel royal. I want it to be big! I want it to be grand and over the top. I’m extra! I love glitter, I love sparkle, I love everything about Cinderella.”

Below, Emily chats more with BachelorNation.com about her impending nuptials and her goals for the future — including babies and an international lifestyle with William!

How did you and William first meet?

I saw his profile on Instagram three years ago. Very millennial, nothing romantic or anything. So, I sent him a DM and just said, “Hey.” I thought to myself, “If he likes the way I look, he’ll respond.” Sure enough, he responds and then we had a little bit of a conversation. He was on the road at the time, so I wrote, “Well, whenever you get back from being on the road, let’s meet up and go grab drinks.” I gave him my number and weeks go by without him reaching out. So, I got on Instagram and I said, “Call me now.” So, he called me and we talked on the phone and then we met up a few days later at this local bar in Vegas. And ever since we met up, we’ve been inseparable. I even traveled to Sweden that summer with him and we lived there together in his apartment. Things with him were just so easy and I never expected to be in a relationship at that time. I was at a really low point in my life, but he just made everything better. And he told me I was fun and made everything easy for him.

How has your relationship evolved since then?

Three years went by and we got a house together, we got a dog together, and our relationship has been a blessing because he and I never argue. We never fight. Things are just so easy and, until I met him, I never realized that relationships could genuinely be so relaxed but still so passionate. We’re still inseparable and always want to be next to each other. Our love story is really cute, and it just evolved because we grew so much together and traveled the world together. We also bought a house out in Sweden. So, now we just have all these roots that connect us: here in Vegas, in Sweden, our dog. Finally, three years went by, and he popped the question!

Had you talked about marriage during the first three years of your relationship?

Yes, and I was getting antsy! In Sweden, they usually date 10 years before they propose. I felt like it was pulling teeth trying to get this ring on my finger, but I got what I wanted. Happy wife, happy life!

What makes you and William a perfect match?

I think we balance each other out. Will is a really shy guy and then I’m very outgoing, very outspoken. But what people don’t know about Will is that once you get to know him and break down his walls, he’s super funny, he’s goofy, he’s kind of childish. And I think if anyone remembers me and my sister from Bachelor Nation, Haley and I are very childish too. So, I think what makes him and I so perfect for each other is that we both don’t take life too seriously. We laugh at each other constantly. My cheeks genuinely hurt most days just from laughing at the silly dance moves that he does. We’re just so similar in a sense that we are both 28 years old but act like we’re probably 12.

Where are you at in the process of wedding planning?

As soon as we got engaged, we had a hotel out here in Vegas — that wasn’t even built yet — reach out to us to possibly have our wedding there. It’s called Resorts World Las Vegas and it’s going to be unbelievable. As soon as they reached out and showed us the property, we got to do a hard hat tour. They did a sunset surprise for us and had this huge LED on the side of the hotel that said, “Congrats Emily and Will.” They totally wooed us. We looked at a few other venues, but Resorts World is going to be over the top and the perfect place to have what is going to be the wedding of my dreams that I could never even fathom having.

Do you have a date yet?

It’s happening in summer 2022 because his family is from Sweden, and we want COVID to hopefully die down more by then. I’ve seen what’s happened to COVID brides and I do not want to deal with anything like that. I don’t want to be a COVID bride whatsoever. I want everything to go smoothly, and I want a big guest list. It’s going to be around 150 people. We want to keep it that way. Will is a big party boy, so he really wants it to be the party of a lifetime.

Is wedding planning a collaborative process between you and William?

The only question he had in the planning process so far was, “How late can we party?” When it comes to decorations and colors, he’s let me take the lead. He’s not this super opinionated person. He lets me pick everything. The only other thing he’ll really want to be involved in is when we pick the food and cake. Otherwise, I get to do what I want. He says, “Whatever makes you happy, you can do.”

What is your vision for the day?

That’s the thing I’m still stuck on. I haven’t really decided on a theme, a color scheme, or anything like that. The ballroom is really big, so we’re going to need a lot of flowers to fill that space up. Everything at Resorts World is 10 times bigger than you could imagine, so it’s a lot. All I know is that I want to feel and look like a princess.

What have been the most challenging parts of the wedding planning process?

So many people have said that planning a wedding is so stressful and so hard. But, so far, nothing has felt stressful or hard. The only thing that has been a bit of a downer is I went to try on wedding dresses — and I hated every single one of them. The problem is that there aren’t a ton of boutiques to pick from out in Vegas. All the dresses I tried on, they were nothing of what I expected them to be. Basically, I didn’t feel like Cinderella. I also want two wedding dresses, so finding the right ones is really important to me.

Where are you at with your dress now?

So, the first dress, I’m actually working on with an Australian company called Palace Couture. They’re handmaking and customizing my dress. I get to start that process with them in October. That’s going to happen via Zoom because they’re on the other side of the world. But if there’s anything I know, Australian brands fit me like a glove. So, I’m really excited. Their stuff is gorgeous, so I went with my gut and my heart with this. I’m going to let them do their thing and hope for the best. I hated trying on dresses anyway. It just wasn’t me, so I kind of feel like this is the route that’s best for me — have them sew up my dream dress and have them ship it to me.

How would you describe the style of your first dress?

I’m definitely a ballgown Cinderella girl, which I think is very unexpected. I think people would assume I want tight, fitted, and sexy. And that so is me too. I want it to definitely be a big ballgown but still sexy and classy. And lots of sparkle!

And what about your second dress for the reception?

I’m still looking but I want it to be short and spunky and fun, something I can just dance in and be wild in because I love to dance and party. That’s the most important part. I just want to be able to move around.

What kind of glam do you want?

Makeup and hair is going to be the hardest for me because usually when I get my hair and makeup done, I hate it and I’m crying. (Laughs) I genuinely do hate how people do my hair and makeup, but I envision it to be pretty glamorous. I want all the lashes, hair curled, gorgeous and long. Definitely lots of fake hair in there. So, very glammed up. But finding a makeup artist and hair person is still on my to-do list.

You’ll find the right person. A lot of hairstylists and makeup artists are probably begging to be a part of your wedding day.

Yeah, I’ve had a lot of people reach out and it’s actually pretty stressful. I just really need to do a few trials, but there’s kind of no rush because it’s still a year away.

A lot of vendors have also probably reached out as well. How do you field offers from companies who want to provide their services in exchange for some love on social media?

From what I’ve heard from other people within Bachelor Nation and other influencers is that there are so many people who reach out and want to work with you. But sometimes it’s almost not worth it because of all the deliverables that they ask for. For instance, the Instagram posts and the unboxings. It’s so much to be worried about when you should really just be focused on soaking up the day. Your wedding day and the person you’re marrying is more important than the small details and making sure you’re getting all the right Instagram posts. I’m going to try and keep that list really short and just pay for most of it so that I’m not having to tag a crazy amount of people. I also feel lucky enough to be able to afford the wedding of my dreams so that I don’t have to worry too much about that.

What are you most looking forward to about your wedding day?

I’m most looking forward to putting a ring on Will’s finger. And I’m really looking forward to writing my vows, too. I’m curious how Will’s vows will be because he’s not a super mushy-gushy emotional guy. So, I’m curious to hear the sweet things that he’ll say and why he wants to marry me, and then obviously mine will be just absolutely amazing because I just know they will be. I’m also curious if Will is going to cry. I’ve seen him cry once in my life and I don’t count the tears that he barely shed when he proposed. Honestly, I hope he does. Fingers crossed!

With houses in both Vegas and Sweden, where do you and William plan to settle down permanently?

I think we’ll settle down permanently in Vegas. The plan is to spend winters in Vegas and summers in Sweden, though. Once we have kids and have a family, we both agreed that our kids will go to school here in Vegas and then every summer — and also every Christmas, during the holidays — we’ll be in Sweden. So, it will be a perfect balance. It’s going to be an amazing life.

Are babies on the brain yet?

Oh, yes. Babies are absolutely on the brain! Babies have been on the brain. Will would have loved to put a baby in me years ago. That’s such a Swedish thing, but I think I’m a little more traditional. We’ll work on babies after the wedding, for sure.

How do you think your experience within Bachelor Nation impacted your outlook on love and ultimately led you to your thriving relationship with William?