Taking the plunge

Nancy Lu gives a thumbs up to a question from boyfriend Brian Ju.[Photo provided to shanghai star]

When Brian Ju decided to propose to his diving fanatic girlfriend, he pushed thoughts of deep sea creatures out of his mind and sunk to one knee for the proposal of a lifetime. Zhou Wenting reports.

Many years ago Nancy Lu saw a video of an underwater wedding.

It seemed so fantastical that she never thought she would ever experience something like it herself, but little did she know that her own proposal would also take place underwater.

During the National Day holiday in October, Lu and her boyfriend went to the Philippines. They went on a diving trip together with two friends, who swum with her before reaching an area where her boyfriend, Brian Ju was kneeling on the ocean floor. Behind him on a wall of coral hung a huge banner reading, "Will you marry me?"

She couldn't stop laughing even underwater. "I couldn't have asked for a more perfect proposal. You can imagine my disbelief when I saw the sign," she says.

As she swam toward him for a hug, he whipped out several flash cards before officially popping the question. On the cards he wrote, "I love studying all the time", "Especially underwater", "I've got a question that needs your help with the answer", "I love you. You love me. So…", "Will you marry me?"

After she gave him a thumbs up indicating "yes", he opened a giant clam to reveal the engagement ring. With Lu giggling behind her scuba mask, they performed an underwater kiss together before surfacing to celebrate.

"Relieved," says Ju, when asked about how he felt. "I couldn't believe everything worked out. I was so anxious up to that point, planning the details and logistics, keeping everything secret while she was next to me the whole trip. When she came over to hug me in the water I knew she was happy about the proposal, and that was so rewarding."

The proposal almost didn't work out as there were so many things working against it.

Some of the complications were: the weather, which was forecasted to thunderstorm the entire trip, their expensive island resort refused to allow their two friends to join the dive, and significant delays by boat and air, which impacted the timing and preparation of the dive.

"I prayed intensely," says Ju. Both Ju and Lu are Chinese-American. "I just wanted it to be perfect for her."