Gina Rodriguez almost kicked off the New Year with backyard wedding

Jane The Virgin star Gina Rodriguez almost rang in 2019 as a new bride.

The actress, who became engaged last summer (18), reveals she and her fiance Joe LoCicero dreamed up the idea of a backyard wedding and very nearly made it happen.

"We were thinking about getting married a few weeks ago just, like, in our backyard," she tells USA Today.

And she's still very keen on the idea of a low-key affair or even eloping with her man, but she fears he and his mother might have other plans.

"Joe has an opinion, so that's good," she adds. "He's not just like a do-whatever. He has an opinion. And I have a great mother-in-law that I'm hoping will do (plan) the whole thing for me!"

"But I feel like we're gonna elope. It is so much drama! It's a lot of work (planning a wedding). There was a point where I was like, 'Everybody arrange everything, I just wanna show up, I just wanna do it... I'm happy'."

Gina has been leaning towards the idea of running off and tying the knot ever since hearing some of the ideas their loved ones came up with when she initially thought it would be a good idea to let their families organise the big day.

"I started hearing what they wanted to do, and I was like, 'Hmm, I don't know about that...,'" she confessed on daytime show The Talk in September (18), "and then I started hearing about how you like, offend (people). Everything you do is offensive! You know, if people aren't bridesmaids, (they're offended)... It's crazy!"

The couple met in 2016 when Joe appeared on an episode of her hit show Jane The Virgin, and he proposed during a romantic vacation in Mexico for her 34th birthday.