She says, quote, “He asked me if he could ask me.  He wanted to know if it was okay to propose before he proposed.  And I was like, ‘Yes, it’s so okay!'”

They were on a rock-climbing trip, and he had the ring in his backpack.  But he did NOT get down on one knee . . . which she didn’t mind because, quote, “I’m a modern lady.”

Wedding plans are up in the air at this point.  Gaga says, quote, “We actually talk a lot about just going to a courthouse just the two of us and just ordering Chinese food.

“But knowing me, also it could become a circus with unicorns.”

(She said all this on “Jimmy Kimmel Live”.  You can grab the video here.)