This is how George Clooney popped the question!

Los Angeles - George Clooney proposed to Amal Alamuddin over a home-cooked meal.

The Monuments Men actor - whose engagement to the human rights lawyer was revealed earlier this week - popped the question with a seven-carat ring he designed himself after dinner at his Los Angeles home.

A source told the New York Post newspaper: "George cooked a meal himself for Amal at home on 22 April, then he surprised her by getting down on bended knee and presenting her with the ring. He was so happy she accepted, he was calling friends with the news later that night."

The night after the proposal, the couple celebrated their happy news with friends at Craig's restaurant in Los Angeles, and onlookers say they were "just beaming".

And the celebrations didn't end there, as the following night Amal happily showed off her ring to pals including Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber at Nobu in Malibu.

George, 52, and Amal, 36, are now planning to marry later this summer, though it is unlikely they will tie the knot at the Hollywood hunk's estate in Lake Como, Italy.

The source said: "It's only four months away but they want to get married at the end of the summer, in early September, before Amal returns to work."

Another source added: "Lake Como would be a beautiful wedding location, but it may not give them any privacy. It is very easy for the public and paparazzi to see into the property."

George's spokesperson has refused to comment on the engagement and wedding arrangements, saying only: "I do not comment on his personal life."