Craig Conover Says He and Paige DeSorbo Aren't Rushing to Engagement: 'Enjoying What We Have' (Exclusive)

The 'Southern Charm' star tells PEOPLE "there was so much pressure on that from the outside world" to take the next step with his 'Summer House' girlfriend

At last year’s BravoCon, Southern Charm’s Craig Conover said he’d propose to Summer House’s Paige DeSorbo "whenever Paige is ready to say yes."

One year later, the couple continues to split their time between New York City and Charleston, South Carolina, and Conover and DeSorbo tell PEOPLE the urgency to propose has waned.

“It's funny how things evolve and change,” says Conover, 34. “I think there was so much pressure on that from the outside world, and that that's what I would say 'normal couples' did, that we were talking about it so much.”

Related: Paige DeSorbo and Craig Conover Team Up for 2nd Sewing Down South Collab: 'We Wanted to Do It Again' (Exclusive)

The Sewing Down South founder says he decided “to lean into the long-distance thing” with DeSorbo, 30.

“I love what we have now,” he says. “My home base is Charleston and hers is New York, but if it was a Venn diagram, we cross over. We're always together, we're just in one place and the other. I think we have the best of both worlds. I know it's unique, but it works.”

DeSorbo agrees: “We have two homes and I feel so chic!”

She's also started feeling "so much more comfortable" in Charleston over the last year.

"All of the Southern Charm girls have been so lovely and so nice to me, and I'm really so thankful because coming into a new group of girlfriends is hard for anyone," DeSorbo says. "Olivia [Flowers]'s been so sweet and Madison [LeCroy] and Venita [Aspen] is always up in New York, so I'm really thankful that they've been so nice to me."

Related: 'Summer House' 's Paige DeSorbo Doesn't Think Craig Conover 'Would Really Vibe' in N.Y.C.: 'He'd Be Scared'

Conover and DeSorbo, who recently teamed up for Sewing Down South’s The Paige Collection 2.0, have learned not to listen to others’ opinions of their relationship.

“I know a lot of people are like, ‘Well, we want more. That doesn't make sense,’” he says. “But I think I've settled into a more sustainable flow of this is what works for us and let's just enjoy it instead of rushing into the next step.”

DeSorbo says and heat she and Conover got, especially in the beginning of their relationship “brought us closer together.”

“We don't put a lot of weight into people hating us,” the Giggly Squad podcast co-host says. “I don't think we do it with people loving us either because we know how reality TV is and how quickly things can change. But we are extremely thankful and we obviously love meeting fans. It definitely is one of our favorite parts of our job.”

Related: Paige DeSorbo Thinks Sonja Morgan's Claim She 'Did' Craig Conover Is a Riot: 'Peeeeing My Pants'

Conover loves hearing positive messages from fellow long-distance couples.

“I think it's fun to be able to bring people joy and be a good example of a non-traditional relationship,” says the author of Pillow Talk: What’s Wrong with My Sewing? “We realize that it doesn't look like every other relationship out there, but it's still fun to share with everyone.”

Between BravoCon, DeSorbo’s upcoming birthday, their anniversary and the holidays, Conover and DeSorbo have an eventful next couple of months.

“I know at least that you can't combine presents,” Conover quips.

The fashion influencer considers herself “a pretty easy person to shop for, but I know that Craig would say otherwise.” She says Conover takes notes all year on potential presents.

“All year long, if I say I like anything, he writes it down in a Notes app, and then I pretty much get all of those things for Christmas,” DeSorbo says. “Last year I didn't realize that I said I wanted a waffle maker, so I got as one of my presents as a waffle maker. Craig is actually very thoughtful when it comes to gifts.”

Related: Paige DeSorbo Says Craig Conover Was 'Blindsided' by Her Feeling 'Zero Pressure' to Move to Charleston

BravoCon — which takes place this weekend in Las Vegas — will kick off the busy season, and DeSorbo has been planning her outfits for months.

“I start picking BravoCon outfits in, I would say August,” she says. “By the time it's the middle of October, I wipe out half of them because I'm like, ‘I don't know what I was thinking two months ago.’ I'm in the process of finalizing them. It's honestly so stressful.”

DeSorbo coordinates with her Summer House castmates, too.

“We are in a group chat and sometimes we will text like, ‘What's your vibe for this night?’” she shares. “We do send our outfits in a group chat a lot, whenever we have the Summer House photo shoot. We have been talking about it and everyone's pretty much in the same boat and scrambling.”

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Southern Charm airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo, and Summer House can be streamed in full on Peacock.

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