'Elation, panic': London couple relive surprise floating hot tub proposal for Valentine's Day

Record ID: 1659953

  • Title: 'Elation, panic': London couple relive surprise floating hot tub proposal for Valentine's Day
  • Date: 11th February 2022
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (RECENT - FEBRUARY 9, 2022) (REUTERS) (NIGHT SHOTS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) MICHAEL, 40, AND TARA MAC AULAY, 32, SAYING: MICHAEL: "I saw a sign and balloons and people standing around the bridge and I... TARA: "Construction workers in orange jackets..." MICHAEL: "I was incredibly surprised and Tara had a two minute long proposal speech that sh
  • Embargoed: 25th February 2022 16:47
  • Keywords: Canary Wharf Valentine's Day couple hot tub romance
  • Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
  • City: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
  • Country: UK
  • Topics: Europe,Human-Led Feature,Human-Led Stories
  • Reuters ID: LVA003FY8F61L
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: When Michael Page and Tara Mac Aulay planned an evening at their favourite date spot, they had no idea both of them were planning to propose.
    The couple had one of their first dates in April 2021, in a floating hot tub at Skuna Boats, a company which rents floating self-drive and wood-fired hot tubs and BBQ boats in West India Quay, London.
    Fast forward almost a year and on January 16, 2022 they arrived at Skuna Boats once again, this time both of them armed with a plan.
    As they left the pontoon and started driving towards the open water, a banner unfurled reading "Tara, will you marry me?"
    Michael managed to propose first to a shocked Tara.
    "It was very much a mix of surprise and elation and panic. Because I didn't expect that you would propose to me at the same time," she told Reuters television.
    Without telling Michael that she also had a surprise, the couple continued to the next bridge where friends were waiting.
    "I saw a sign and balloons and people standing around the bridge and I was incredibly surprised and Tara had a two minute long proposal speech that she'd planned and I'm driving the boat," said Michael.
    "So I am shocked, I want to process every word and I also want to not crash…it's probably the most difficult thing I've ever done."
    The couple had known each other for seven years before they started dating a year into the pandemic.
    Now Tara, originally from Melbourne, Australia and Michael from North Dakota live in London together.
    The founder of Skuna Boats, Tommo Stuart Thomson, and the Skuna boats team helped Michael plan his proposal.
    Michael and Tara's proposal was not the only proposal to have happened in a Skuna hot tub, but the double proposal was definitely a first.
    "It's a perfect first date, I mean you're not going to have a more ice breaking first date than in a hot tub boat. And if things go further than it really does make a magical place to propose," Thomson said.
    "We've offered Michael the use of our boats for the wedding, so if they want to have their wedding on the hot tub boats and BBQ boats then they're very welcome to," said Stuart Thomson.
    Michael and Tara have another plan for their wedding, swapping Canary Wharf for the Adriatic Coast.
    "Tempted, we've thought about it but we're now set on getting married in Croatia. There will be a boat involved, so that's kind of a nod to this entire story," said Michael.
    The idea for the hot tub boats came on a trip to Rotterdam, The Netherlands, with Stuart Thomas bringing the idea and boats back to the UK.
    As Valentine's day nears, the team at Skuna Boats have offered couples a 50 per cent discount to encourage a bit of romance.
    Journey time is 75 minutes and all hot tubs are heated to 38 degrees Celsius / 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
    (Production: Gerhard Mey, Lucy Towers, Jonathan Shenfield)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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