Be it Clapping For Our Carers, putting on rainbow displays in our windows or donating free wedding dresses, love is helping us through the coronavirus pandemic. In the same way, more and more people are taking the opportunity to propose. It makes sense: when faced with the idea of mortality, there is nothing more important than your loved ones, people are more likely to take a risk and pop the question, and the extra free time in quarantine means that some people have recognised just how much their other half means to them. These men and women are all planning on proposing once life goes back to normal.
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"I've lived with my girlfriend for three years," Mike* told HELLO!. "We've been together for five. I've always known she was the one but I've never had the guts to ask her to marry me. Since being in isolation together, I've realised just how much I love her, and I can't wait to ask her once I can set up a proper proposal and invite our family and friends to celebrate." For Mike*, being with his girlfriend 24/7 is the catalyst for wanting to spend the rest of his life with her, but for others it's being apart.
On a Reddit thread where people are sharing what they intend on doing once the pandemic is over, one user wrote: "Go see my boyfriend, take him on a date, and ask that boy to marry me. I'm done spending time apart for who knows how long."
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Another user concurred: "I have this exact same thing but with my girlfriend. I've been planning to propose for a while and wanted to do it at the top of a mountain during a snowboarding trip, but I think I might do it the night we are reunited." 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder' goes the adage and, when fueled with strict quarantine restrictions, the most logical conclusion seems to be marriage.
Death also plays a part. At the time of writing, 2,352 people have died from coronavirus, and this is nothing if not reason to do everything you can to show your loved ones your appreciation. "Neither me nor my girlfriend have had or have symptoms," Jack* told us. "But the idea that we could, and I could potentially lose her has opened my eyes to how much I love her. I'm going to take her away to her hometown once we can travel again and ask her to marry me there."
The world is undoubtedly facing devastating effects, but life post-coronavirus is looking better than ever.
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