"it was the most sentimental place to hold the proposal."
A long-distance couple got engaged in the middle of a busy London Euston Station.
Vidya Patel got a surprise as she arrived at the station on her visit from her home in Birmingham.
Her boyfriend Nirmal Chohan, who lives in London, got down on one knee on the busy station concourse.
Footage showed Nirmal pointing at one of the station information boards, which displayed the message:
“Vidya Patel, will you marry me?”
Family members were in on the surprise and watched the proposal unfold from the station mezzanine before joining the couple to congratulate them.
After Vidya said yes, the board changed to display a message of congratulations.
Commuters could be seen rushing to catch their trains, with some watching the proposal and stopping to congratulate the couple.
Nirmal chose the spot in Euston Station as it is where the pair have met up over the years since they first met in 2014.
He explained: “We’ve been going out for about seven years and long-distance relationships have their natural challenges.
“But Euston was our natural meeting point, this was our arrival and departure lounge for seven years so it was the most sentimental place to hold the proposal.”
Under the pretence of a usual meet-up, Nirmal greeted Vidya at the station.
He continued: “Euston holds a lot of positive experiences, at times it felt like a Bollywood movie, with the hustle and bustle of people, trains left, right, and centre, and then me trying to woo the love of my life.
“It has been a dream planning this surprise.
“For the proposal to happen under such circumstances, with both families present, is truly special.
“The trains and Euston station collectively made the distance in our relationship less of an obstacle, and more a warm, homely location where I knew I’d always get to see her again.
“We must now move our family planning to the topic of a wedding!”
Vidya was unaware that her family was in on the proposal.
She said: “I left my house in Birmingham and my family said they were going for a shopping day out so had left early in the morning.
“So I went on the train and saw Nirmal, he looked dashing!
“He asked ‘what time is it?’ and I looked up at the board and it said ‘Vidya Patel will you marry me?’ and I was shocked and everything went into slow motion.
“I turned around and he was on his knee and the ring was out and he asked ‘will you marry me?’
“It all happened very quickly but at the same time in slow motion.”
Nirmal added: “None of this would have been possible without their help, and that of Avanti West Coast and Network Rail, so I’ll always be grateful for this.”
Kathrin Pranga-Wells, Avanti West Coast Lead Station Manager at London Euston, said:
“When we heard Nirmal’s plans to propose at Euston, we were keen to make it a memorable occasion.
“It has been exciting to play our part in this special surprise and give a nod to the railway that has connected the couple for years – we loved seeing the joy and excitement on everyone’s faces!
“We wish Nirmal and Vidya a happy engagement and all the best for their life together.”
Nicholas Holloway, Communications Manager at Network Rail, said:
“When we were contacted to support Nirmal make this very romantic gesture at Euston station, we just had to help.
“We were really pleased to play a small part in Nirmal and Vidya’s story and wish them well for the future.”
Watch the Proposal
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