Flash mobs, sports stadiums, elaborate plans involving friends, family, and maybe even the neighborhood dogs. Some men really go out of their way to make their girlfriends feel special on the day they decide to pop the big question, "Will you marry me?"
For Dean Smith, simply bending down on one knee was not enough to convey his love when he decided he wanted to spend the rest of his life with his girlfriend Jennifer Kessel. Exactly one year before he decided to ask her to marry him, he hatched an elaborate plot to make his proposal extra unique and special.
Everyday for a year, Dean, unbeknownst to Jen, held up a sign in various locations and scenarios asking her to marry him, and would snap a video.
On the big day, he enlisted the help of his girlfriend's family as they were vacationing in Aruba for her birthday. First, her sister knocked on her door with a whiteboard sign greeting her happy birthday and instructions to go down to the lobby. There, her brother was waiting with another whiteboard with further instructions. The next white board was held up by her parents with instructions to go to the beach where she was seated on the sand and given a tablet to watch a video that Dean prepared for her.
In the video, he tells her that exactly one year ago on her birthday, he decided he would ask her to marry him. And since he knew that she loves countdowns, he would make a countdown video for her - exactly 365 days long - to the day he would get down on his knee and propose.
True enough, everyday, beginning on her birthday last year, Dean wrote on his white board or on a piece of paper in various ways how much he loved Jen and wanted her to marry him. Sometimes the video would show him in the car, brushing his teeth, at work, with their cat and dog, in bed, flossing, and even with her sleeping in bed in the background and one with her parents holding up the sign and another with his accomplices, her brother and sister holding the sign up for him.
To add to the squeal-factor, he played Bruno Mars' Marry You as the background music of his 365 day countdown proposal video and at some points even lip-synched to the upbeat, happy, romantic song. In addition, he also used the song from another viral internet video, Pharrell's Happy, to convey how he would feel if she said yes.
The video culminates with one last instruction, for her to turn around. When she does, Smith is standing behind her with, what else, a white board with the question written on it: Will you marry me?
Jen tearfully walks towards Dean as he finally gets down on one knee as the sun sets over the water. She says yes. To which the entire beach applause. One bystander even shouts, "We all want invitations to the wedding!"
Celebrate with the happy couple and check out the engagement video online.
