Edi Okoro is a unique person who had a special idea to surprise his girlfriend, Cally Read, with the perfect proposal. He wanted to ask her to marry him every single day for a month straight without her, even knowing it happened. Thankfully, we’ve been following it all. Cally is in for a real surprise and almost finds out early a few times. Edi goes ahead and proposes to her about thirty times over the next month, catching it all on camera.
Edi was able to shoot this photo when Cally was checking something out on her phone. Just like this moment, there were a lot of chances for him to get caught. Thankfully, he got through the pictures without the surprise being spoiled. We will take you through his long proposal and even tell the stories that go behind the pictures. After this story, there is another man who was inspired by Edi’s story.
The Thought Behind It
Edi was 30 years old at the time and grew up in Hereford, UK. Like Cally, he was a fan of athletics and even ran track. You could always find him hanging out in the field. Edi and Cally were dating for ten years before he decided to pop the question.
He wanted to do it in a special way but wasn’t sure how. One day he decided that he would propose to her using a series of photos where she had no idea she was being proposed to. He would take photos behind her back, posing with the ring to show her after he really gets down on one knee. This was a great idea as he could document how much love he has for her.
Edi’s Other Half
Cally, at the time, was 28 years old, and she had graduated from the University of Birmingham. At the University, she was a professional athlete and eventually made that into her career. She competed at the Euro Trials and British Championships and was even a member of Birchfield Harriers. This is a UK based premier athletics club.
Cally and Edi had a lot in common, but the biggest thing was their shared athletic background. The more that the two of them got to know each other, the more they bonded over shared interests and eventually started a romantic relationship. They dated during their time at University, even taking time to study and train together. The most impressive thing was how they didn’t get sick of each other’s company!
They Knew That They Are Meant to Be Together
In 2017, Cally and Edi bought their first house together. They moved in together right away, marking another huge milestone in their relationship. The couple lived in London and just wanted to start building their life together with a great space for gaming and watching movies. They were living together for a while, and Edi decided it was time for the next step.
The photograph above was Cally and Edi when they moved into their new place, wearing matching denim shirts and holding the set of keys to the house. The couple looks so happy to be starting the next step in life together. They captioned this photo on Instagram with ‘#notplanned,’ which really shows how similar the two of them are.
Unplanned Fun
Edi was tired of waiting for the right moment to pop the question, so he decided to start proposing behind her back. Of course, he proposed behind her back in the most thoughtful way! Edi wrote on his Instagram page, “Those who have gone through this (and those who will soon find out) you want to propose in a way that speaks to you as a person and couple.”
Edi continued, “Some plan a flash mob, a fancy meal, or even arrange a ‘marry me’ sign. I couldn’t do this because ‘Edi doesn’t plan.’ I’m a spontaneous improviser!” I guess that because he loved to be spontaneous, proposing in a normal romantic way just wouldn’t work out the way that he planned it, so why not do something unconventional.
Thinking Outside of The Box
Since Edi was usually spontaneous, he had to do something different so that Cally wouldn’t catch on to the surprise. He admitted that his spontaneity “made it even more of a challenge because Cally knows this, and the moment I planned a holiday or meal, she would have clocked on to what I was about to do.”
Edi took the engagement ring just about everywhere he went hoping that the right moment would come around. Edi said, “I took the ring with me everywhere, hoping the ‘moment’ would arise in line with my spontaneous style.” However, we all can see that this wasn’t working as well as he’d hoped. He just ended up with another photograph of the ring behind Cally’s back.
A Lightbulb Went On
All of this got Edi thinking. He said, “after a month or so of waiting for the right moment, I was sitting on the sofa admiring ‘my precious,’ [he admits he had become strongly attached to ring after all his time with it] Cally almost caught me staring at the ring, and it hit me!” But that’s when Edi had a great idea.
After all of these attempts that he didn’t end up going through with, he thought, “All these missed opportunities mixed in with the thought – Cally doesn’t know I have the ring! I should just start documenting these moments!” And that’s where it all really began. He was going to get himself, Cally, and that engagement ring in as many photographs as possible.
The Plan with No Plan
Edi had a hilarious plan just to keep photobombing him and Cally with the engagement ring. This hilarious stunt had him thinking, and he said that it “escalated quickly into trying to get as many photos of Cally with the ring without her knowing! Yes, she had no idea what I was doing in these photos!”
Although it didn’t seem like it, Edi actually knew exactly what he was doing. “The idea was to take as many photos, in more daring scenarios, until I found the perfect moment to propose, or until I got caught, at which point I would propose,” he said. Which one of these do you think will happen first? Will he find the right moment or get caught and must propose at that moment?
She’s Always on His Mind
Over the next month, Edi took every opportunity he had to snap photos of Cally with the engagement right just out of her line of sight. He ran into situations outside of the house and even inside, just like with this photo. Edi manages to get away with taking a photo of the ring sitting on her back while she’s on her phone.
Cally is stomach down on the bed looking through what seems like Facebook or Instagram. He was very sneaky and good at it. I’m sure that even if he did get caught in this moment, it would have been a great story to tell their grandkids. However, this man was sneaky and good at it, and Cally had no idea what was going on.
The View of a Tourist
After all of these photos that he managed to take inside the house, they got out to live a bit like tourists. Cally is staring through one of those old long-distance binoculars that are attached to the ground but couldn’t get a good view of anything. That seemed like such a waste.
Not to Edi, though. The couple liked to travel together, so this was a great photo to be able to capture. They weren’t alone, so it also gets you thinking: what did these bystanders thing? Did anyone say something to him, maybe throw him a thumbs up? Edi could have even stood there with a finger over his lips so no one would say anything. He is a spontaneous guy, so if he did get caught, this could have been another great story. Not only for the couple but for everyone standing around.
Upping His Game
This one was specifically daring. Edi placed the ring in the palm of Cally’s hand while she was asleep. Even though she was sleeping, she could have woken up at any moment and seen what Edi was doing. This could have ruined half a month of photos he took behind her back. Although it could have made a great story.
Normally, I wouldn’t appreciate a photo of myself sleeping with my mouth open, practically drooling, being put out on the internet. But in this case, I would have loved this photo. I’m sure she didn’t have much of a say in this, but I’m glad that we get to see this particular picture.
Her future is right under her nose this whole time, and she has no idea!
Talk About Confidence
Most of us have a tray or dish that we place our jewelry in at the end of the night, so it doesn’t get lost. Well, Cally has one of those too. Edi put the ring in this dish that she keeps on her desk. He left it there for two whole days before putting it back in the box! I’m not sure how he got away with this one. She went for two days without looking at the dish that is usually touched daily.
You can even see how the ring is sitting in the most noticeable spot, on top of all of her other jewelry. Although to be fair, it looks like she has a lot of single earrings on that dish. I’ll give it to him though, Edi really knows how to have fun.
The Excitement is Building Up
This time he used a video to get his point across. While Cally is brushing her teeth in the bathroom, he takes the time to videotape her with the ring right behind her back. On the right side of the photograph, you can see that he gets so excited that he has to walk away from the bathroom a bit so that she doesn’t figure out what’s going on.
These photos are just the sweetest. There’s nothing like seeing the love a man has for a woman to the point where he puts this much effort into making this next step in their life memorable and fun. If I were her, though, I would go crazy knowing that I missed all of these things happening right in front of me.
I Got Your Back
Edi is just begging to get caught now. Perhaps he’s just having trouble keeping this secret to himself. Cally and Edi just woke up and are still lying in bed. Cally decides to lay there and check her phone for a bit. Little does she know, Edi opened the engagement ring box and placed it on her back. This photobomb is just Edi begging to be caught.
Still, Cally had no idea what was going on. It’s nice to be with someone who you can joke around like this. It really shows how real and playful their relationship is. Cally seems to be the perfect person for this prank. If you found out your boyfriend was teasing you without you knowing it for a month straight, how would you react?
But She Looked Right at It!
This time, Edi was filming them right after waking up. You can see Cally still lying in bed while Edi sits at the foot of the bed frame with the engagement ring box in his hand just looking at her. Edi even started talking to her as if nothing special was going on. You would think that she would notice the ring at this point.
Cally does look up to answer him but doesn’t notice a thing. She looked right at the ring! The two had a conversation, and the ring remained a secret, even though it was right in front of her the whole time. Could this have worked with any other couple? Perhaps she saw it and thought she was dreaming, but it really seems like she just wasn’t paying attention.
Through Rain or Shine
The typical rainy weather continued in England, but that didn’t stop her from deciding to go out for a bike ride. Edi got a picture after he dropped her off, holding the ring up to the window. Another moment that if he had looked up, it would have given the whole surprise away.
This really shows us that it doesn’t matter what he is doing; proposing to Cally is all that he can think about. He also really has this box on him no matter what. How did she not notice the bulky ring box sticking out of his pocket all the time? I ask this now, but I’m sure that I would have reacted the exact same way as Cally, by not noticing any of it.
Almost a Proposal
This proposal behind Cally’s back could have had the weirdest outcome. Edi decided to whip out the engagement ring box in a bike shop. Imagine Cally would have turned around in the moment, and he would have been stuck proposing in a bike shop. In bed, fine, it is still romantic and a cute story. This one would have just been a story that people roll their eyes to.
Cally goes up to the register to pay, and Edi pulls out the ring behind her back. The guy behind the counter is oblivious to what’s happening, and once again, so is Cally. Edi keeps taking chances with the random areas he chooses to pull the ring out, but one of these times will end up being the perfect opportunity for him to propose properly.
Selfie Time
Edi was really feeling courageous and flipped the camera around to get a second shot of him proposing to Cally at the bike shop. This one could have gone so wrong, but it is a great shot to have. Is Cally ever going to notice that he is taking these photos? She should have at least noticed the bulge in his pants pocket from the large black box.
Who are we kidding? She isn’t going to notice anytime soon. Thankfully, he didn’t get caught here. He just put the box aware and went on with shopping as if nothing happened. If you thought these photos have been in crazy situations, wait until you see where he brings it out next.
Three’s a Crowd
Even though there’s a beautiful view of an ocean behind them, both Cally and Edi are on their phones again. Cally is too busy on her phone to notice, but Edi is taking a selfie with her and the ring. This time, she is turned a bit more towards him, so she should have been able to see what he is doing.
The smile on Edi’s face says it all. You can tell he understands how much he’s getting away within this picture because he has a huge smile plastered on his face. Cally is so engrossed in her phone that I wonder if she even realizes there is a beach in front of her. Either way, she’ll have a memorable photograph to look back at later.
Another Tourist Situation
The two of them are still vacationing, and it seems like Cally is checking out a map to make sure they don’t get lost. While she’s trying to figure out where to go next, Edi takes the opportunity to snap a selfie behind her back with the engagement ring. This vacation seems like it would have been a good place to propose, but he just kept going with the undetected selfies.
At this point, it seems like Edi just wants Cally to notice that he’s proposing, so it turns into a vacation proposal. It doesn’t really look like he would mind that happening, but that moment just doesn’t happen yet. The two of them continue their vacation as if nothing happened.
The Almost Perfect Moment
They finally get down to the beach, and Cally pulls out her phone again. What better time to steal a selfie with her and the ring? This could have been another perfect moment for her to turn around, but once again, she didn’t notice a thing.
This vacation has been beautiful so far. At least, what we saw through Edi’s selfies. You would think that this trip would have been the perfect place for a proposal. There were a lot of beautiful moments that were missed opportunities, but Edi does have some sneaky selfies to make up for it.
Will Cally ever notice that the ring has been right under her nose the whole time? Let’s see where Edi tries to grab a selfie next.
One More Rock to Add to Your Collection
I really don’t understand how he got away from this one. The two of them were lying on the rocky beach, taking a nap when Edi took another big chance and put the engagement ring box right next to her head. They could hear the waves crashing and smell the saltwater in the air. The hot summer sun was beating down on them.
It looks like she’s sleeping in this picture, but wouldn’t you have woken up to the commotion next to your head? Edi keeps taking chances and is bound to get caught sooner or later. Even though this seemed like the perfect moment for her to turn around, the actual moment, he chooses to do it couldn’t have been more perfect.
Why Help When You Can Take a Picture?
This one takes the cake. I would have preferred the help here, but that’s definitely not how Edi felt. Cally finished her work out and was carrying her bike up the stairs. Instead of offering to help her with it, Edi pulls out the ring and snaps a photo of it right in front of her. Instead of a selfie, he holds the box in her direction so that if she looked up from the bike for a second, she would have seen the contents of the box too.
It seems like this time, Edi really got gutsy, but it paid off because she didn’t see a thing, and he has another photo to add to his collection. Let’s see what crazy idea he comes up with next.
Edi’s Final Photobomb
A month is a long time to wait to do something so exciting, especially when you know that you really can just do it at any moment. Just one last photobomb before the actual proposal. I would have been too excited to wait this long, but this time Edi wears it on his thumb while Cally is in the kitchen looking through the cabinets.
You would think that she noticed him moving around to take a selfie with it. If she would have, then she also would have seen the ring on his phone camera. Thankfully he got away with it this last time and was still able to surprise her in a very romantic way. Time to get out your tissues…
She Said Yes!
After all of these photos, Edi got to propose to Cally. Only the people close to them know how he really proposed at this point, but she said yes! After he proposed, the couple looked so happy, posing together with the ring. Luckily, he didn’t get caught taking all of the fun photos with Cally and the ring and was able to propose at his spontaneous moment.
At first, he didn’t tell Cally about the spontaneous photos and waited a few weeks to let her in on the secret. I’m still waiting for him to reveal how he proposed after he built the moment up like this. Maybe if we have patience, he will release the happy ending to their story.
Cally Finds Out
I’m still in shock that Edi was able to keep this a secret for so long. I wouldn’t have been able to resist proposing each time that I went to take a picture. In this case, he waited again to let her know how he really proposed. All of their friends and family were sitting together, and he pulled out a PowerPoint presentation. Cally was not expecting this and didn’t know what was coming her way.
Before he turned it on, he explained to everywhere what he did and how the whole proposal lasted longer than they think. He told his family, “Basically, I had no idea how I was gonna propose to Cal. I was like what am I gonna do – maybe I could take pictures to document the whole experience?”
The Story Unfolds
Edi started the slideshow, explaining all of the photos as he went through. Cally went from just being shocked to laughing uncontrollably. Edi described every situation and explained, “Basically, any opportunity I had, I started taking photos!”
In this funny performance, they got to the picture of them on the beach where he doesn’t have a top on, and he says, “Don’t watch my belly – I was out of season!” He ended with “So that’s my presentation of basically how I proposed to Cal!” and the two of them embraced. This is fun to know, but I’m still curious how he actually proposed to her in the end. Did he get caught holding the ring up and just have to go with it? Perhaps he figured out the most romantic time at the moment, and it just happened. Maybe we’ll find out someday.
Back in the Day
Edi added other photos into the presentation that weren’t from his spontaneous selfies. You can see here that Edi and Cally were in love back when they were just 18 years old. You can see them hugging each other on the left, and on the right, they are going sledding in a snowstorm. She mentioned on her Instagram that she couldn’t feel her toes in that photo.
Look how far the two have come! Cally mentioned that she used to change her hair all the time when she was a teenager. She said that she even did a bit of hair modeling. Even though she looks the same, you can tell how much younger she is with that hairstyle.
Look How Far They’ve Come
You can tell that these two have a great connection. Also, because they accidentally matched outfits in the photo on the right. You can see them dressed up and ready for a night out on the left. Edi even went as far as to pose for the camera. The engagement photos got me used to see him excited with his mouth open, so the model pose is a fun change.
Then you have the photo on the right of them posing together in denim shirts standing in their new large kitchen with flowers and a sign that says, ‘Our Home’ and fresh flower sitting on the counter. I still can’t believe they didn’t choose those outfits together. Even their shoes kind of go together.
The Never-ending Jokes
Of course, his way of proposing was quite funny, and Edi can still get a laugh out of it. He more recently posted this photo below with the following caption, “Cally, Specsavers must have heard about our proposal story and sent this in the post #ShouldHaveWentToSpecsavers.” It doesn’t seem like he will ever let her live down, not noticing the ring right under her nose that whole month.
This wasn’t the end of it, though. They went to the mall together, and Cally decided to pretend that the mannequins were paparazzi, and she was famous. Edi decided to take this right to social media, posting a video and writing this: “Cally’s poor eyesight [is] causing her problems again… she thought it was the real paparazzi. It’s not that deep!”
Just Some Early Planning
Ever since Cally and Edi got engaged, they have been going out and living it up. You can see them together here in Northern Italy, spending some time on a boat. This young couple seems to really be enjoying life. Cally posted this image on Facebook excited that they are starting their weekend and that she gets to explore places for her wedding now.
We aren’t sure what she means by that, but I guess we’ll see when they get married. Do they want to do a whole wedding in Italy? Perhaps they want to make it their honeymoon destination, or one of many honeymoon destinations. Just like finding out how he proposed to her in the end, we might have to wait to find this out.
Adventurous Life Partners
The couple was out vacationing in Lombardy village, but of course, they went out exploring. Here they are standing on a long flight of steps I Bellagio, Lago di Como. The couple would travel together before the engagement, and something tells me they will be traveling even more now together.
Edi and Cally vacationed in Switzerland, Hungary, Spain, France, Wales, and the Lake District. I would say that’s a nice amount for traveling since you started dating in high school, but these are only the places they went in the last two years! If anyone was meant to be together, it seems to be these two. They just look like they are enjoying every moment.
Let’s see who they run into next…
Edi’s Mother-In-Law
Cally and Edi both seem to have very close relationships with their families. Edi didn’t waste any time making sure that Cally’s mom becomes a close family to him as well. Here you can see that she joined them on their travels through Italy. Behind her mother, you can see Cally with a shocked look, almost as if she thinks what Edi said. Edi captioned this photo with, “When you would rather take a photo with Cally’s mom.”
Even though Edi seems to be teasing his mother in law a bit, she loves and approves of the two of them together. She is even helping out with some of the wedding planning. They celebrated Cally’s mother’s 60th birthday in Italy. Who doesn’t want their children to take them to Italy for their 60th?
He’ll Always Be There to Cheer You Up
Coming back from vacation is always a tough task. Coming back from vacation to rainy UK weather just feels even worse. Forget the responsibilities that have been piling up, waiting for you to come back, and this is coming back to the weather, which has my hair puffed up. The kind of weather that you can only really enjoy when you are sitting at home under a nice fuzzy blanket.
The couple snapped this selfie on the bus ride home, and Edi captioned it, “When the holiday blues start setting in… not for me, tho I don’t get blues.” It’s easy to say you don’t get ‘holiday blues’ but wait until he gets back to work. It’s nice that the two of them can joke around like this.
And Then There Were Three
The following picture was posted by Edi captioned, “When it’s selfie time, and you wanna get involved.” The two started their own Facebook page called Cally & Edi, where they can share their story and post any updates for their fans. Yes, they definitely have fans at this point. This was a modern romantic proposal story that swept people off their feet all around the world.
I’m still left with a few questions like when will the two be getting married? Will there be any additions to their family anytime soon? Perhaps this cute and fluffy dog is their new addition. Once there is an update on how he actually proposed in the end, we will make sure to update you here!
Look What You Started
After their story came out, it was shared all over the world. It got all the way to Canada, where Colton Vaters was also looking for the right way to propose to his longtime girlfriend, Danielle Campbell. He loved the story so much that he did something similar. Colton said, “I bought the ring about 5 months or so ago knowing that I wanted to propose, but I had no idea how I was going to do it.”
You can see him and Danielle here doing a photo shoot together. The right is in his left-hand right behind her back while they stand near the lake. Colton had the photographer in on his idea, and they were able to capture Danielle’s reaction on camera!
After 5 Months
It took five whole months for Colton to be prepared for this moment. He said, “all changed when I [had] seen a post about how someone else proposed. He took secret photos of his now fiancé with the ring and her in the same photo in more and more daring scenarios. This, to me, sounded like a lot of fun.”
Just like Edi, Colton took the engagement ring everywhere he went. But Colton took it a step further and had it on him for five months. “I started taking the ring with me everywhere I went and taking as many photos as I could without her noticing. I also left the ring in various spots throughout the house for different periods,” he mentioned.
Behind Her Back
Just like with Edi, Colton took the risk of putting the engagement ring right on her back while she is lying on the bed watching something. He was lucky and mentioned, “I really hoped she wouldn’t notice the ring, or me taking the pictures because if she did, I would’ve proposed then and there.”
It’s a good thing this worked as he actually had something planned. He said that he “wanted to do it during a photo shoot we had scheduled to catch it all live time.” Thankfully she didn’t notice anything, and he was able to wait a bit longer. This just gave him the chance to get a bit more creative with the selfies, just like Edi. Check out what Colton decides to do next…
Special Photobomb Moments
Here are just a few more special moments that Colton captured before he proposed to Danielle. To clarify what she is doing on the toilet, Colton made sure to caption the photo with “She’s painting her toenail for anyone wondering.” Of course, people still made assumptions, but that’s the internet. A more popular assumption was, “I thought she was clipping her nails into the trash.”
You can also see on the right that he pulled out the engagement ring while they were walking around Wal Mart shopping. What better place then the canned goods aisle to pull out a ring and ask for someone’s hand in marriage. Thank goodness she didn’t turn around and catch him then because what ended up happening was beautiful.
A Beautiful Ending to a Beautiful Story
Just like Edi, Colton took this ring everywhere he went. He ended up with almost 30 photos of him holding the ring. He also took similar ones to Edi, like placing the ring on her jewelry dish or hooking it onto her purse strap. Either way, she didn’t notice a thing.
Instead of proposing in Walmart or while they were lying in bed, Colton took the time to schedule a photo shoot where he got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. That is after he took a few photos holding the engagement ring right behind her back. “It all went to plan, and I would highly recommend this to anyone planning on asking the big question in the future,” he assured everyone on social media. He added, “It was a cool way to make the proposal fun and take the stress away.”