Taking the plunge

Nancy Lu was happy and surprised when her boyfriend Brian Ju proposed on a dive trip. [Photo provided to shanghai star]

Miraculously, his prayers were answered. "Everything worked out perfectly," says Ju. "The sun seemed to follow us wherever we went, and because of their flight delay our friends were able to get a free night's stay at our resort and join us on the dive."

The craziest thing happened on the day of the proposal.

"The dive instructor pulled me aside for my beginner's training and said, 'I don't know what you had in mind, but if it’s ok with you, I've already prepared a banner underwater that says "Will you marry me?" and a giant clam for you to put the ring in.' I couldn't believe any of it," he says, explaining that this was exactly what he wanted all along, but gave up due to the complexity of its planning and execution.

Prior to the trip, he even struggled with the idea of proposing underwater. "I hate sharks. I'm terrified of any deep sea creatures. I guess I’m just not an aquatic type of guy," he says.

Lu, however, is an advanced certified diver and loves the ocean. "Ultimately I realized this isn't all about me and what I want to do. We have to make sacrifices in marriage, so I figured I'd better start now and make this moment extra special just for her," he says.

Ju and Lu met two years ago at a church in Shanghai. "Time literally stopped for me. Everything slowed down around her, but she was somehow still talking at a normal pace. I don't even know how I responded or processed any of it. It just felt very surreal,” he says.

"He just had a piercing look that made me feel really special, as though I'm the only person that mattered. He was a bit shy but very approachable. I thought he was attractive but didn't think too much of it," she recalls.

He asked her to have coffee six months later because they were in different social circles. They have been dating ever since.

Although it's only been two years since they started dating, Lu says she's never felt closer to anyone other than him.

"The best part of my day is seeing him after work, so I can easily envision spending the rest of our lives together."