Happy memory from 'forgotten' date

Until Anna Robinson saw the "will you marry me" sign, she thought boyfriend Morgan Lewis had forgotten their anniversary.

The couple, both teachers at Otumoetai Intermediate, have been together for three years and on Monday became engaged after Mr Lewis organised a marriage proposal involving 30 of their friends and family.

Mr Lewis said he had made out to Miss Robinson that he had forgotten their anniversary and had arranged a last-minute dinner at Volare. "I told her I would meet her there and to have a dress ready. In the meantime, I arranged for her friends and family to meet in the carpark around the corner with hand painted signs saying 'will you marry me, Anna?'. We had dinner and dessert then I texted everyone to meet across the road."

Miss Robinson looked over at the group and turned back to see Mr Lewis on his knee asking her to marry him.

Miss Robinson said she was totally blown away. "When I turned up at the restaurant, he asked if we could go and see Man of Steel at the movies. I said 'okay' but was secretly disappointed that he wanted to go and see a superhero movie on our anniversary.

"I knew nothing until I saw a big group of people walking across the road, I said to Morgan there must have been a party then I started recognising some of the people and they held up the signs." The couple are moving to Egypt in six weeks to work at an international school.