Romantic boyfriend Neil Crawford surprises partner Claire with marriage proposal at zoo's gorilla house
Last updated 1/20/2012 9:40:40 AM
Neil Crawford surprises partner Claire with marriage proposal at zoo's gorilla house
Little did Claire Miles realise when she went on a day trip to the zoo that her boyfriend was up to monkey business.
Neil Crawford arranged a special private viewing of the apes in the gorilla house at Bristol Zoo Gardens and much to Claire's surprise, the romantic I.T consultant popped the question.
"Claire and I have been together for three years and I decided the time was right to ask her to marry me," Neil said. "I started thinking about how to go about proposing in a unique and memorable way. Claire loves animals, particularly monkeys and gorillas, and the Zoo's baby gorilla is currently her favourite. She had wanted to visit the Zoo to see him for some time, so I hit upon the idea of proposing."
He explained: "I contacted Bristol Zoo to explain my plan and offered to make a donation to their conservation work in return for a few moments alone in the gorilla house after closing time. When the day came I was so nervous I could hardly string a sentence together, I had to keep delaying her so we didn't get to the gorilla enclosure before it was ready. Basically she thought I had gone bananas! It was quite strange to have an audience of gorillas watching while I proposed, but it was certainly a special moment – and luckily Claire said yes!"
Neil and Claire's friends and family then joined them in the gorilla house to toast their news with champagne.