The woman from a viral proposal video which exploded across social media over the weekend said she had “no idea” the magic moment was coming before her boyfriend got down on one knee.
Audrey Rose Sacris said ‘yes’ to new fiancé Ben Powell in the beautiful setting of Ballincollig Regional Park yesterday, with a clip of the special moment going viral after being shared on social media.
The cute video was posted to the park’s Facebook page where it has been viewed thousands of times with hundreds of likes and comments congratulating the couple. A park worker also speculated it could be “a first” engagement for the popular Cork location.
Audrey said today she “had absolutely not a clue” that the proposal was coming and shared the lovely story behind the couple’s love story. Audrey, who is originally from the Philippines, and Englishman Ben, met online while playing video games.
The couple, who live in Ballincollig, have been together for over two years but only met in person for the first time at Cork Airport last year after Ben moved country to be with his girlfriend.
Audrey had believed the pair were having a family photoshoot when Ben got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. She said: “It was my mom’s birthday and they were going to leave for the Philippines the following day. So we were just basically trying to enjoy the day,
“They said like, ‘oh, we’re just going to have like a quick photo shoot,’ and then suddenly I saw him on my peripheral vision. He was kneeling down. ‘I was like, what is going on?'”
Audrey and Ben are celebrating three years together in March
(Image: Audrey Rose Sacris)
Speaking with the Cork’s 96FM Opinion Line with PJ Coogan, Audrey said that all her family were able to witness the proposal in a special milestone for the pair.
“When it came down to the moment, I was really wondering why was he kneeling down like so many thoughts were going in my head… And then he pulled out the ring and everything, and so that’s when he popped the question and I was just thrilled.
“I was just out of words. I just I just kept laughing.”
She said: “The sun was out. The weather was very good… and people were cheering.”
The pair met online playing a video game
(Image: Audrey Rose Sacris)
Nursing home worker Audrey and Ben, who works in Tesco, will be celebrating three years together in March after maintaining a long-distance relationship before they were finally united in Cork.
“We actually met online and I was still back in the Philippines and he was still back in England,” she said, “We were both playing a game, an online game. And that’s how we basically met – through the Internet.”
Audrey explained that she had been planning to move to Ireland before she met Ben. She said: “I got the job. So even long before I met him, I was already set to come to Ireland for for the job.|
“He just wanted to be where I was. So he thought that I was still going to be staying in the Philippines for a while. But I told him I’d be moving to Ireland very soon and so he packed his bags and came to Ireland as well.”
The young couple are planning two wedding ceremonies to celebrate with both their families
(Image: Audrey Rose Sacris)
Audrey and Ben saw each other in person for the first time in February last year when she picked him up at Cork Airport and said how his parents were worried about Ben moving country to live with a women he had never met before.
“He just moved to Ireland last year in February, and I was already here in October… his parents actually thought that I could be a catfishing him. But it all worked. It all worked well at the end.”
The couple are now planning two wedding celebrations including a “super intimate wedding” here in Ireland to celebrate with Ben’s family and a bigger ceremony in Audrey’s native Philippines.