Reporter's Investigation Leads to Her Marriage Proposal
In keeping with the tradition of elaborate public marriage proposals, Maryanne Firth, a reporter for the Welland Tribune in Canada, was shocked to discover that the man placing pink heart signs all over town—which she had been reporting on for weeks—was her fiancé-to-be.
Firth filed a blog post to the Welland Tribune at the start of her investigation:
The plywood squares, each painted white with a large bright pink heart, appeared carefully staked in the ground on a number of busy roads.
They've become the talk of the community, with people questioning their meaning and origin.
Some believe it's a way to spread love through the city, others question whether it's a business or election ploy.
And as reporters often do, she turned to Twitter for possible answers to the mystery of the pink hearts:
Have you spotted the heart signs posted all over Welland? Join our conversation and post photos using #WellandHearts http://t.co/JhPNqux3ka
— Maryanne Firth (@mfirthStandard) May 5, 2014
A new sign was posted outside the Welland Tribune offices Sunday afternoon with a time for the next day at a park, where Firth met a man with a box on his head handing out flowers under a tent. When Firth approached, her boyfriend of eight years, Ryan St. Denis, completed his weeks-long proposal. From Firth's story today:
He handed one to me — a sweet, but familiar gesture — and then continued passing them out to others.
Then he gathered up the remaining flowers into a bouquet and turned to me.
He removed the disguise.
This was the man who I've loved for the past eight years. Who I've built a life with.
This was all for me.
Ryan got down on one knee and as I tried unsuccessfully to hold back tears, he asked me to spend the rest of my life with him.
No pressure, right?
Of course I was ecstatic. Shaking. Crying. Of course I said Yes!
