While it's very common for couples to discuss potential marriage plans when they stay together for long enough, it still usually comes as a surprise when one of them pops the question.
And of course, that's often by design as the person who takes that plunge wants it to be an arresting and significant moment that feels like a perfect way to ring in such a big new chapter in their lives together.
But while a proposal might be a nice surprise, it can end up carrying some severe risk if that surprise happens in a place where the couple is surrounded by strangers.
And it's hard to describe how one man learned this unfortunate lesson as any way but "the hard way."