Looks like real-life Prince Charmings exist and this boyfriend certainly was one. After all, who else would spend 6 months perfecting such a beautiful and touching proposal.
Editor’s note: This article was originally published on January 17, 2020. It has since been updated.
One of the most special moments of a couple's journey is the proposal. When the man goes down on one knee, the girl lets out a joyful tear, and the characters in the movie wait on the big screen to hear their response... Wait, what? Yup, you read it right.
Professional filmmaker Lee Loechler turned into a real-life Prince Charming when he gave his girlfriend a surprise she will never forget. He knew that his cardiologist girlfriend, Dr Sthuthi David, absolutely loved the animated classic, Sleeping Beauty. So he drew a rather cheeky plan and dedicated six long months for it. He worked with animator Kayla Coombs to morph the leading characters to look like Sthuthi and himself towards the end of the movie. And boy, did he own the evening like a boss!
"A few years back a friend of mine told me he was planning to propose to his then-girlfriend, and I suggested he should 'Forrest Gump' himself into her favorite movie, and then have his on-screen character 'toss' the ring to his real-life self," Lee told Insider. "I don't know where that idea came from, but it felt fun and magical, and it played into my skill set as a filmmaker." "He didn't think it was right for him, so I filed it away for later use."
However, he didn't really have an idea of how to go about it since he works only on live-action films. "I went on Instagram and started following various Disney art hashtags, hoping to find an illustrator who was up to the task," Lee said. "It wasn't until I stumbled on Kayla's work that the first inkling set in that 'this might be possible after all.'"
And he decided to turn to his unsuspecting girlfriend's mom for help. "I doctored an email blast from the theatre (with their permission) and changed the movie it advertised to instead say 'Sleeping Beauty,'" he told the outlet. "I sent the doctored email to her mom, and asked her to send it to Sthuthi along with the message: 'I saw the Coolidge is screening your favorite movie, so I got tickets for the whole family, and one for Lee if he can come.' So not only did Sthuthi not suspect a thing, it was a proud moment when she called me a few days later and invited me to her own surprise proposal."
The committed boyfriend even enlisted the theatre to help him pull off the exciting event. For one, he made sure that his girlfriend wouldn't be able to see the people sitting in the back of the theatre and recognize they were actually her friends until the very end. "We had everyone show up early, and anyone she might recognize was seated in the back few rows," he said. He even ensured that the two of them didn't reach the theatre until the trailers had already begun to play. "When we walked into the room together, it was nice and dark as we found our seats," Lee told the news outlet. And then the movie started to play.
Everything went the way it should as the classic tale unfolded on big screen. Then it got to the point where Prince Charming makes his move towards Sleeping Beauty, and that's when she begins to resemble Sthuthi and the prince begins to look like Lee! The unsuspecting cardiologist looks visibly confused, while Lee gets ready to make one of his most important moves in his life. "I was absolutely losing my mind! When you watch the hidden camera footage from earlier parts of the movie, you can see me fidgeting endlessly and mouthing to myself the words I was planning to say," he said.
"One of the things I love and admire most about her is that she is very up-front," he said of her. "As a partner, it helps me be there for her, rather than having to guess what she's thinking. She had made it known she was ready to take the next step. Otherwise, no way would I have had the cojones to do something like this. Big public proposals can be sweet, but I could never imagine putting someone on the spot like that if you're not 100% sure they will say yes," he added.
What an incredibly thoughtful guy! Then came the moment when the animated prince looks up and tosses him the ring, which Lee picks from the air and gets down on one knee as Stuthi sat stupified. The sweet proposal began amidst giggles from their elated family and friends. "It's not every day you get to propose to your high school sweetheart," he said in a recording of the proposal. If this wasn't enough dedication, he had even timed the film such that it would sync with his real-life speech as the animated couple watched the real one got engaged. "I love you with my whole heart," Lee went on to say, according to Perth Now, "including all of its ventricals, atriums, valves," pausing to explain to the audience that “she’s a cardiologist.” He then asked her, “Sthuthi David, MD, will you live happily ever after with me?”
As Sthuthi accepted the proposal, there were cheers of joy and appreciation for this lovely couple. The screen behind broke into cheers as well as animated fireworks lit the sky and the movie ends with, "The Beginning." signalling their happily ever after in real life. And the joke of the extra bit at the very end reveals just how fun and witty this gentleman is.
Taking to Instagram to share this heartwarming video, Lee captioned it saying, “The only thing better than seeing the smartest person I know completely dumbfounded was knowing we’d get to live happily ever after together.” Watch the video and let us know your comments.
References:
https://www.insider.com/man-proposed-by-editing-himself-into-sleeping-beauty-video-2020-1
