Melissa Rycroft's Bridal Shower Details

Sept. 21, 2009— -- It was a "crazy weekend" for "Good Morning America" special contributor Melissa Rycroft. The "Dancing With the Stars" alum went behind the scenes for a sneak peek at the ninth season of the hit show, and then returned home to Texas for her first bridal shower.

Rycroft and fiance Tye Strickland are set to wed at the end of the year. On Sunday, she and her friends celebrated the impending nuptials.

"I had a crazy weekend," Rycroft said on "GMA." "I came home and had my first shower. It was country-themed."

Rycroft, 26, announced her engagement live on "GMA" June 30.

"Sometimes, the stars align," Rycroft said at the time, "and the clouds part and everything works out the way it should."

The engagement took place in private in Texas, she said, and then "we went and met up with our parents and friends."

The couple met three years ago at a mutual friend's party and had dated on and off before reconnecting after Rycroft's appearance on "The Bachelor."

Rycroft has become known for her bargain-hunting abilities, and she pointed out on "GMA" today that at her bridal shower she "had my $9.99 boots on!"

In March, "The Bachelor" Jason Mesnick stunned viewers when he ended his relationship with Rycroft and rekindled his relationship with the first runner-up on the show.

Mesnick proposed to Rycroft during the finale of the reality love competition. During a reunion special that followed the finale, Mesnick initially sang the praises of Rycroft, a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader.

But he then told Rycroft that his heart truly belonged to department store buyer and runner-up Molly Malaney, and that he was ending the courtship with Rycroft.

Rycroft bounced back and went on to appear on "Dancing With the Stars," where she finished third.