Chase Stokes ‘Cried the Whole Time’ During Kelsea Ballerini’s First Arena Headline Show in Her Hometown

Chase Stokes can’t stop raving about his girlfriend Kelsey Ballerina!

On Monday, while on the red carpet for the 2023 CFDA Fashion Awards in New York, PEOPLE spoke with Foreign banks actor, 31, about the “Love Me Like You Mean It” singer, 30.

Stokes shared that not only did she get to see the Knoxville, Tennessee native perform in her hometown for her Heartfirst Tour, but she also headlined the show.

“I still can’t get over how loud it was … for her to come back to her hometown and sell out an arena, like that stage — that was the best thing. I was crying the whole time,” he tells PEOPLE.

Chase Stokes at the 2023 CFDA Fashion Awards.

Bryan Bedder/WWD via Getty

Stokes then shared how special it was to see her achieve her dreams in front of her family.

“Her mom was there and her sister was there, her family was there,” he says. “It’s a magical moment when you see somebody who wanted to have this dream at 12 years old and then come back to her hometown and do exactly what she set out to do — I mean, there’s no way you could be prouder.”

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Stokes walked the carpet in a steel blue two-piece suit for the special occasion.

“She gave me a little yee-haw,” the Tell me your secrets the star says of the country singer when asked how Ballerini influenced his style. “I’m not going to lie, I grew up in the South, so she definitely picked that up.”

Stokes admits he enjoys going places with Ballerini after the two made their red carpet debut together at the CMT Music Awards in April.

Kelsea Ballerini performs on stage.

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

“It was fun and being able to do events together, dress up for things together — it was great,” she tells PEOPLE, adding that they equally played a role in “influencing each other” when it came to their style.

The two became so close that they began “unintentionally” matching clothes.

“Everyone thought the VMAs were coordinated, but it was a look I was going to wear for something else, and then I missed my flight so I couldn’t wear it,” Stokes told PEOPLE, noting that it was “kind of cool” that the clothes ended up matching his jacket.

For Between the waves actor, the two became “sort of a serendipitous coincidence.”

Over the summer, Stokes took time out to film the latest season of the show Foreign banks in Charleston, South Carolina to surprise Ballerini in Seattle.

When the “Miss Me More” singer got off her plane, Stokes was waiting for her on the tarmac near a black car.

Kelsea Ballerini Shares Sweet Photos From Caribbean Vacation With Chase Stokes: ‘What A Trip’

The couple first sparked dating rumors in January after Stokes posted a cute photo of them together at the Georgia vs. TCU game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

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