Fireworks Championships 2023: Woman stunned as boyfriend proposes with drone display at event at Newby Hall in Yorkshire

Megan Greenwood, 27, got a huge surprise when Rhys Whelan, 30, produced the message during the event near Ripon on Saturday night.

The display, set to the couple’s favourite song, 6 Words by Wretch 32, saw the drones form several love-themed images in the sky, including champagne bottles and hearts, before spelling the words “Marry me” and “Megan”.

The couple, from Eccleshill in Bradford, have been together for more than nine years and shared the moment with friends and family.

Describing her immediate reaction to the display, Ms Greenwood told the PA news agency: “I don’t know what my face looked like, but I know I definitely started shaking.”

She said her husband-to-be “couldn’t have done anything more perfect”, and that the unorthodox proposal “definitely beat anything that I could imagine”.

Nevertheless, there was still an opportunity to include the more traditional method.

Ms Greenwood said: “It said ‘Marry me’ in the sky and he pushed me forward slightly, then he turned me around and he was on one knee.”

Mr Whelan “put two and two together” and found inspiration for the gesture after the pair previously attended the championships and he was impressed by their own drone show.

Of his emotions before the big moment, he said: “I was absolutely terrified. It had been six months in the making, so all the planning and preparation all of a sudden came down to five minutes worth of display.

“I tried to time it the best I could but I think because of the nerves I was a bit premature going down on one knee, but it had the desired effect in the end.”

Mr Whelan said he “tried my utmost to be as sneaky as I possibly could” to keep the proposal a surprise.

That included secret meetings with the show organisers and speaking to Ms Greenwood’s father on Friday.

Ms Greenwood said: “We’ve talked about it (getting married) but only in a joking sense. I’d always make jokes that he needs to put a ring on it, and my mum and friends would all do the same.

“He always said it’s the 21st century so I have to propose to him, but I’m too stubborn for that!”

Mr Whelan said being able to share the memory with many of their relatives in person was “amazing”, while Ms Greenwood said her closest friends “just lost it” after seeing the display.

Mr Whelan added: “Her mother’s favourite animal is a butterfly, so when I saw on their website that they did a ‘butterfly in the sky’ I thought that would be a nice touch.”

Both said they have not yet thought about possible wedding plans, but Mr Whelan refused to rule out the use of drones again on the big day, saying: “We’ll see – you never know.”