After proposal video gets blocked by tourists, couple wants them at their wedding
Capturing a proposal on video is a way to relive that special moment, but for one couple, the video became a hilarious memory instead. Their engagement was unexpectedly photobombed by two tourists who wandered into the frame at the wrong time. But instead of being upset, the couple wants to invite them to their wedding.
On her Instagram account, Natali Melani delighted her followers when she posted a video of her boyfriend Kevin Arrieta proposing to her a year ago on the island of Santorini.
Little did they know, two tourists entered the frame and completely blocked them from the view as they were celebrating their new milestone in their relationship. One tourist held a half-melted candy bar, while the other seemed to be looking for something in the distance.
By the time Melani and Arrieta realized what had happened, the photobombers had already gone their way.
The video, which is set to the viral "Jet2 Holiday" sound, has since become viral and garnered more than three million views.
Despite the interrupted proposal video, Melani showed no hard feelings toward the tourists, as she wrote in the caption, "Our dream Santorini proposal accidentally turned into a candy bar ad. You couldn’t script something this unexpectedly hilarious."
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Natali Melani 🕊️ YOGA | WELLNESS | RETREATS (@natali_melani)
The engaged couple recalled the unforgettable experience in an interview with PEOPLE.
"I set up a tripod. I wanted to pop the question and then it all happened organically. Then I look over, and I just see [tourists] in front of it, and then we just couldn't believe it," Arrieta said.
"They walked away, [we] picked up our phone and we watched the video. We just died. Like we froze. We stayed there, probably rewatching it a couple of times, just dying," Melani added. "But they were gone before we could say anything or show them or connect with them. They just disappeared. It seems like they were looking for something."
Arrieta said that they are not upset with the tourists who blocked the proposal. They considered it "the funniest thing" and were delighted that others felt the same way.
"That's why we've been holding on to it. We've been showing our friends. And like they think it's funny. I'm like, okay, let's post it. And then the whole ‘Jet 2’ audio came out. And we're like perfect…we're happy the whole world is just laughing about it," he said.
To make up for the photobombed moment, Melani and Arrieta hired a professional photographer to take their engagement photoshoot before returning to Florida. They also expressed their intent to invite the tourists to their wedding.
"We'd love to invite them to our wedding, and we hopefully think that they also think this is funny like we did. We love them, we wanna thank them for making us laugh forever," Melani said in an interview on ABC World News Tonight with David Muir.
On their advice to other people who are hoping to propose one day, Arrieta said, "I would say, for sure, get a photographer, and maybe the photographer has an assistant to block out the crowd or something? I don't know, but maybe don't pick a tourist attraction."
