I proposed to my wife Karen onstage in front of 400 people.
I am a theatre director and had spent the summer directing 35 middle school students in a production of "The Music Man".
I knew that I wanted topropose sometime in July, so I thought that I would do it onstage after the last performance of the show.
I told this to the kids in the cast in June and the show wasn't until the end of July.
The excitement level was high all summer to say the least and the kids wanted to be involved and I thought, why not? Karen came to see the show on opening night, but I had arranged for her to accompany her family to the show for the closing performance.
They were in on the plan.
The theatre was completely sold out and people were also standing as 35 kids had been advertising this performance as "an event.
" The show went off without a hitch.
At the end of the curtain calls, I came out and thanked the audience for attending and then I asked my girlfriend Karen to join me onstage.
The spotlight operator had scoped her out earlier and shone the light on her at this point as I went to escort her.
Onstage, I proclaimed my deepest love and admiration and asked Karen to bestow upon me the honor of becoming my wife.
Through many tears (and camera flashes), she nodded yes as she could not speak actual words at that moment.
At that point, the 35 kids in the show came from the wings, each with a long-stemmed red rose, and presented them to my bride-to-be.
Then, our orchestra of piano, bass, trumpets, and trombones played the chorus of the popular love song from the show, "Til There Was You," and the cast and myself sang the words to Karen.
The proposal was greeted with a standing ovation.
The kids from the show sang during the wedding ceremony.
They were a part of the proposal, so it seemed fitting to have them at the wedding.