'Pumpkin Boobs' Proposal Enchants the Internet: 'She's a Keeper'

When Tariq Khan planned his proposal, he didn't expect to wait quite so long for an answer.

That's because his bride-to-be was distracted by a pumpkin patch. While Khan went down on one knee, Samantha Rhea Parrish-Khan grabbed two nearby pumpkins and held them to her chest with a goofy grin for the camera—before she realized it was recording her engagement.

"When I almost ruined my proposal because I needed pumpkin boobs," said Parrish-Khan's caption over a TikTok video that captured the comical moment.

She didn't expect the clip to charm millions of people, racking up 17.5 million views in less than a day.

The New York City couple told Newsweek they got married on October 15. They were reminiscing about the proposal, which happened a year ago, when Parrish-Khan decided to post the footage online.

Khan popped the question during a trip to Texas, where Parrish-Khan grew up. He planned to propose at a pumpkin display in The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. Right on cue, he gave their friends a codeword to start filming.

"The code was 'Look at that pumpkin, big and blue,'" said Khan. "I pointed at a whitish-blue pumpkin, which made Samantha turn around and face it, and got into position. And I had a speech planned. But, you know, the spectacle kind of took over."

Even though goofing temporarily distracted her, she said that it couldn't have turned out better.

"I am a control freak, and there could have been no better way for me to get out of my own head and to be caught off guard by our proposal," she said. "It was so perfect that he knew that in order for me to really be present, he had to catch me like that."

As for the groom, the moment just solidified his choice to marry Parrish-Khan.

"I thought, wow, this could not be better," he said. "This is confirmed, I am making the most excellent decision. It also felt like the longest 45 seconds of my life."

After home-bound proposals surged during COVID-19 lockdowns, couples have eagerly flocked to the outdoors again to seal the deal. Nearly 75 percent of proposals in the U.S. took place outside last year, compared with just 40 percent in 2020, according to The Knot 2021 Jewelry and Engagement Study. That trend is projected to continue in 2022, with couples particularly seeking out places in nature to pop the question.

The Knot also found that couples have looked more to excursions, with destinations at trails, the beach, observatory spots or unique Airbnbs. Nearly one in three engagements took place on a planned trip in 2021, up 7 percent from 2020.

Public proposals are well-beloved on the internet, but Khan and Parrish-Khan managed to pull on heartstrings in a new way.

"He realized even more that this was his forever person," commented a viewer of their TikTok video.

Several comments echoed, "She's a keeper."