A girlfriend was left completely speechless when a surprise birthday cake she had planned for her boyfriend had been flipped to feature a different message for her: “Will You Marry Me?”
For couple Emrie Hawes and Will Biggs, from Greenville, South Carolina, the subject of marriage has always been a fun part of their relationship.
On only the couple’s second date, Will, 26, thought it would be fun to tell a random woman at a bar that he and Emrie, 25, had just gotten married, so that Emrie had to keep up the facade.
Then, over the years that followed, Emrie thought Will’s joke had given her the license to question when a ring was coming, with Will always having a quip on hand: “It’ll happen in the next 10 years.”
And so, as the couple headed to a chophouse in Downtown Greenville, on December 12, 2025, for Will’s birthday, Emrie had no reason to suspect a thing, even planning a surprise for her boyfriend herself.
After the meal, as Emrie had expected, staff brought out a birthday cake for Will, and Emrie started singing “Happy Birthday,” expecting others to join in.
But that performance quickly ended when the cake was placed in front of her and, on the board he cake was being served on, was written “Happy Birthday” on Will’s side and “Will You Marry Me?” on the other.
As Emrie read the message and heard no-one else singing, her jaw dropped, and she sat speechless for a good ten seconds.
During that time, Will removed a ring from plate, got down on one knee and slipped the ring on Emrie’s finger – all while his girlfriend was still too stunned to speak.
The sweet and unique proposal was captured on video, and Emrie later shared the clip on social media, where people commented on how amazing it was to see the genuine surprise on Emrie’s face.
Another commenter quipped how all Will wanted for his birthday was for Emrie to be his wife.
The couple are now planning to tie the knot near Asheville in September.
Emrie told Happily: ” “For the past six months, everywhere we went I assumed he was going to propose but I really didn’t think he would at dinner because it was his birthday, so he wouldn’t be giving me a gift.
“After the video I was still pretty speechless.
“I then transitioned to sobbing because I was so happy, which then transitioned into me freaking out and telling every person we passed on the street!”
