Twins Get Engaged Just Days Apart After Surprise Proposals: 'We Honestly Didn't Plan It That Way' (Exclusive)

Twin brothers coincidentally proposed to their girlfriends within four days of each other.

Twins William and James Thiele say they "honestly haven't had the whole 'twin telepathy' thing happen" to them — until now. The brothers, both 31, had an accidental form of twin telepathy when their proposals happened practically back-to-back.

"I would say that it was more of a coincidence than anything else," William, the older twin by a few minutes, tells PEOPLE. "People have asked us if we planned it that way, and we honestly didn't plan it that way, it just kinda happened that way."

Although each brother figured "that it would happen soon" because "Christmas time is an obvious time" to propose, they didn't schedule their engagements to be just days apart.

First, James proposed to his girlfriend of about two years, Marella Carpenter, on Dec. 21, 2024 at The UPMC Rink at PPG Place in Pittsburgh. James had witnessed a proposal at the location the previous year, which inspired him to pop the question in the same way. Carpenter, a 25-year-old manager at GNC, thought they were on one of their regular ice skating dates but after an hour of skating James took her to the Christmas tree in the center of the rink for photos.

"Then James told Marella that he wanted to get out his hand warmers that were in his pocket, and instead he pulled out the ring," William says. "She said 'yes' immediately with tears in her eyes."

Just a few days later on Christmas Day, the Thiele family would have another engagement to celebrate. William proposed to his girlfriend of about a year and a half, Katie Hartzell, at her parents' house using a gift he received from her the previous Christmas.

William and James are the sixth generation to live and work on their family's dairy farm, Thiele Dairy Farm in Pennsylvania. Part of William's job as a dairy farmer is to fly a drone for agricultural purposes, which has led him to become known as the "drone guy." On Christmas Day 2023, Hartzell — who is a 26-year-old registered nurse at Butler Memorial Hospital — gifted him a drone ornament personalized with "#droneguy" on it.

"We were going to have Christmas dinner on Christmas Day evening, so Katie's parents, her brother and I thought of a plan to put the drone ornament in the Christmas tree," William recalls. "Her parents distracted her downstairs as her dad and I put the drone in the tree with the ring on it. Then we all came back upstairs and I told her that there was something for her in the tree. Then I proposed with her brother and her mom videoing the whole thing."

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He adds, "She said 'yes,' of course, and she was crying uncontrollably."

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Although the twins didn't see their close proposals coming, their families weren't surprised.

"Our families reacted very well to the news. Most of them knew it was coming," William says. "Everyone is excited, of course, and are eagerly looking forward to the next chapter!"

James and Carpenter will tie the knot in August. Meanwhile, William and Hartzell have yet to set a wedding date.

Read the original article on People