My husband and I faked a proposal to get free drinks at a restaurant and I do not assume I did something flawed

An already-married couple who faked a proposal in order to get free drinks at a restaurant is speaking out – and they’re standing by their actions, even if haters think it’s wrong. 

In a now-viral video posted to X earlier this month, Joseph Vasquez, 32, was seen getting down on one knee to ‘propose’ to his wife, Jaela, 27, in the middle of a crowded restaurant at a resort in Hawaii. 

The couple had their fellow diners completely fooled, as the entire room erupted into enthusiastic cheers and claps.

The Vasquez’s even took it a step further, as he picked up his wife and swung her around in the air, sharing a passionate kiss together after she said ‘yes.’

But the scene was just for theatrics, as Jaela admitted what was really happening in the caption. 

‘My husband fake proposed to get us free drinks last night,’ she wrote on X.

Jaela’s admission sparked a slew of outrage – but she told DailyMail.com exclusively that she doesn’t think they ‘did anything wrong.’

She explained that she and her husband are actually newlyweds, as they got married in December 2024. 

‘That was our first time doing a “fake proposal,”‘ Jaela explained, adding that it kind of happened in the moment. 

She admitted that she and her husband were dancing with resort-goers beforehand when the idea hit him.

‘When we first came in, there was a live DJ, but everyone was seated. We encouraged the guests to get up and have a dance with us,’ Jaela dished.

‘As the night went on, everyone was having an amazing time and dancing with one another,’ she continued.

‘My husband decided to maximize the amount of fun we were having by doing a “fake proposal.” From there, we received the drinks.’

The video that Jaela posted sparked a slew of backlash for the couple, with some people calling them ‘scammers.’

‘You must be so proud to be scammers and grifters,’ one person wrote in response.

Another user typed, ‘That is disgusting! Such a cheap behavior!’

‘I cant believe you’re proud of this,’ someone else remarked.

Others, however, found it totally hysterical. 

‘Now this is a marriage. I love how you both committed to the role,’ an X user wrote.

‘This is so unhinged! I’m on board,’ another seconded.

Someone else agreed, ‘I love when people with the same sense of humor date.’

‘Technically not a scam because you did get married,’ a different post read.

The 27-year-old admitted that the reactions were not exactly what they were expecting. 

‘The initial reactions – which I’d say the first 10,000 were very positive,’ she told DailyMail.com.

‘Most people were admiring our love for one another and acting skills. But once it reached a different side of [X] the comments turned dark,’ she said.

She said some of the comments were not only rude, but the even turned racist. 

It’s something that Jaela said was ‘in no way appropriate.’  

‘I understood the ethical debate. Though, I couldn’t quite understand the racism followed behind it,’ Jaela said.

‘An example would be [some] X users saying only blacks would do something like that… But my husband isn’t a black man. It proved to us racism is very much alive.’

In response to those who think what the couple did was wrong, Jaela told DailyMail.com that they were ‘simply trying to lighten the mood and have a good laugh.’

But she admitted that it’s not something they are planning to do again. 

‘I value authenticity and I always aim to connect with others. This time I just missed the mark in others eyes,’ she shared.

‘I still don’t think we did anything wrong. I do however, value everyone’s opinion. We didn’t do it to deceive anyone.’

And, while she received tons of ‘hateful direct messages,’ it was the positive ones that convinced her to keep the post up.  

‘Several thousands of people saw the beauty, love, and joke about the post, so I kept it up,’ she said.