LOS ANGELES, Ca. – Actor Bradley Cooper, who portrayed U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle in the Oscar nominated film ‘American Sniper,’ has revealed that he and Taya Kyle, the sniper’s widow, are engaged to be married.

The announcement came during the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in L.A. Sunday night following the Academy Awards ceremony. “We wanted to announce this during the acceptance speech for Best Picture,” a smiling Cooper told attendees of the after party while standing hand in hand with Taya, adding, “but it didn’t work out that way.”

The couple have yet to publicly confirm the location of the ceremony but Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, has offered to host the wedding at the Governor’s Mansion in downtown Austin. Speaking with reporters Monday afternoon, Governor Abbott said he would be honored to host the ceremony “in honor of Chris Kyle.”

A relative speaking on behalf of Mr. Cooper told this reporter the wedding will be held “sometime in the fall” and that the couple wants to wait until after Eddie Ray Routh, who is on trial for the murder of Chris Kyle and another man, is convicted, saying, “Taya understandably wants to close that chapter in her life before beginning a new one.”

American Sniper picked up the award for Best Sound Editing but failed to win Best Picture, which was awarded to the film ‘Birdman,’ starring Michael Keaton.