Romantic Liam Slade, 25, asked Grace Woodman, 24, to be his girlfriend by hanging a handwritten bedsheet banner from a bridge over the A41 in Bicester, an A-road they often drive
Romantic Liam Slade asked the woman of his dreams to be his girlfriend – by hanging a handwritten message on a bedsheet from a bridge. The 25-year-old bloke organised the surprise for Grace Woodman, 24, after the pair started dating in March.
He prepared the bedsheet using spray paint he obtained from Grace’s father and penned a message asking her to be his girlfriend. The banner was fastened with cable ties and positioned on a bridge over the A41 in Bicester, Oxfordshire, which they regularly drive past.
Grace said the proposal on May 3 was a “very easy yes”. Grace, a recruitment consultant from the market town, said: “We were in the car and he was smiling so I knew something was going on and he just said, ‘Look up’, and there it was – it was a very easy yes.
“He is such a sweetheart, it was a really lovely surprise. I did wonder if the question was coming but I didn’t expect it to be like that.
“He is very generous and kind that’s what I love about him. Hopefully I can make him as happy as he makes me.”
Liam, from Kidlington, Oxfordshire, said he decided to do it on the “spur of the moment” after passing the bridge during one of his usual drives along the A-road, reports the Mirror. With the help of Grace’s sister Eva, they assembled the handwritten message on a bedsheet and returned to the location to set it up, ensuring it could be spotted clearly from the road.
“The wind was blowing it up”
Liam, proprietor of Carpet and Flooring Company in Banbury, Oxfordshire, said: “It was a spur of the moment. I drive past that bridge a lot throughout the week, me and Grace drive through it a lot.
“And I just thought, ‘Why not?’ He added: “I took Grace’s sister, Eva, to the bridge, and we put up the sign together, and we did a couple of test runs, drove around it quite a few times to make sure it was right.
“We had to drive around to make sure it was visible, and you could read it.” The first couple of times, you couldn’t really read it because the wind was blowing it up.
“So we had to reinforce it with more cable. I think we went round there about eight or nine times, just to double check that it was ok.”
“There were so many people that were honking me and Eva and then it went on Facebook, and it went a bit viral, and lots of people were asking me questions. Then we went back to Grace’s house.
“I picked Grace up and the rest is history. I said, ‘I need you to come out with me I’ve got something to show you’.
“I don’t think she really had any idea of what was going on then I presented it and she was a bit blown away, really.” Liam revealed he didn’t want to rush the proposal and wanted to get it spot on as he knew from very early on he wanted her to be his girlfriend.
“I’ve set the bar too high”
He said: “We’re living in a world where there’s so much hate and so much sadness. People don’t do big gestures like that anymore and it’s important for me, especially for Grace.
“She came to me at a point in my life where it was very unexpected, and I suppose you could say I was not in the best of places, and she was a real light in a dark moment for me. She has become one of my top priorities.
“She is very important to me. We are very happy and I’m really blessed.”
Regarding a potential wedding proposal, Liam admitted he has set the bar “too high” and must now “up his game”. He said: “Now I’ve got to really up my game again.
“I’ve set the bar too high, that’s the problem. I’m glad that it went well.
“There was all sorts of things that could potentially go wrong. What if it fell down, and all that sort of stuff, but we did it and I didn’t expect all the traction from it, but actually, it’s quite nice.”
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