JOHN MELLENCAMP & MEG RYAN

THE ENGAGED CELEBS ARE TAKING THE NEXT MAJOR STEP: FINDING A NEW HOUSE!

As they prepare for their wedding, the couple face some big changes.

Just two months after announcing their engagement, Meg Ryan and her rocker fiancé, John Mellencamp, bundled up and headed to a small, snow-covered town in Connecticut to go house hunting. “In Manhattan they are constantly recognized, so they want an oasis, a haven out of the spotlight,” an insider tells Closer. “They’re both very private people and love nature, so it’s a mutual desire.”

The places Meg, 57, and John, 67, are considering look nothing like the “little pink houses” he sang about in the ’80s. One, a stunning brick mansion with five bedrooms, seven baths and a heated saltwater pool, is listed for $4.9 million. When they finally decide on a home, you can be sure walls will come tumblin’ down for renovation — one of Meg’s favorite pastimes. “It’s a chance for me to bring my vision to the world,” says the actress, who has previously rehabbed nine properties.

Until then, the couple will continue to split their time between Meg’s place in New York City (where her daughter, Daisy, 14, goes to school) and John’s home in Indiana. “Meg wants to stay on the East Coast,” the insider says, “so this is making her happy.”

BUILT TO LAST

While house hunting and wedding planning can be stressful for some, Meg and John are enjoying every minute. “They’re both hippies at heart and at this age, they want no drama — they want it easy,” notes the insider, adding that they plan “to get married on the spur of the moment.”

One thing is certain: The couple will be surrounded by the love of family and friends on their big day. “Meg is an amazing, brilliant woman,” John’s daughter, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Teddi Mellencamp Arroyave, tells Closer. “She’s funny, too — one of those people you like being around.”

“I’m engaged at 67 to the funniest woman I’ve ever met.” — John