A skateboarder pulled off a one-of-a-kind proposal by taking out a ring at the top of a quarter pipe as his girlfriend thought she was watching him perform a trick.
Skateboarding has always been at the heart of Darien Poulin, 27, and his now-fiancée Kimberly’s relationship.
The couple, from Ottawa in Ontario, Canada, started dating in high school, and after a few months, they knew they wanted to build a life together.
Darien has always been a keen skater, and Kimberly’s passion for photography and videography has seen her become his biggest supporter and videographer over the nine years they have been together.
Ahead of their recent anniversary, Darien knew he wanted to propose, and he had Kimberly’s previous request in the back of his mind: that she wanted his proposal to be unique and outdoors.
On July 6, Darien asked Kimberly to help him with a trick on a quarter pipe they use to practice at home, claiming the safety rail had broken, and he needed someone to spot him.
Kimblery headed out, where she stood next to the ramp, ready to catch Darien if his trick failed.
But as the 27-year-old made it to the top of the ramp, he paused and balanced, before getting down on one knee on his board and asking his girlfriend to marry him.
A stunned Kimberly, 25, didn’t know how to react, standing frozen in shock before Darien then dropped back down the ramp.
The moment was captured on video by a series of cameras Darien had set up, as well as on a cell phone his mother was holding.
The couple are now planning to get married in July 2027, around their 10-year anniversary.
Darien said: “Since skateboarding means so much to both of us, I knew my proposal had to involve skating.
“I came up with the idea of pretending the safety rail on our ramp had broken so she’d come over to help keep me from falling.
“That would give me the perfect opportunity to get down on one knee and ask her to marry me.
“I’d practiced balancing in that position hundreds, if not thousands, of times, so I thought it would be easy.
“What I didn’t expect was how nervous I’d be.
“My legs were shaking so much that my board was almost slipping off because my foot wouldn’t stop vibrating.
“Looking back, it made the whole moment even more genuine and funny.
“Kimberly was completely caught off guard, which was exactly what I was hoping for.
“She said yes, and afterwards we spent the rest of the evening talking about how much she loved the proposal and how happy it made her.”
