I let my friends get engaged at my wedding. The surprise proposal was one of the best parts of the day.

In the middle of my wedding reception, one of our friends got down on one knee and pulled out an engagement ring.

Most of our guests were shocked — but my new husband, Anthony, and I shared a gleeful smile. We knew this “surprise” proposal was going to happen.

In fact, we’d even helped him plan it.

We didn’t want our wedding day to be only about us

Toward the end of our wedding-planning process, our friend Jeff asked if he could propose to his girlfriend, Krystina, at our reception because she wouldn’t expect it.

She knew they’d be getting engaged soon, and he thought she’d suspect a proposal done in any other way. Anthony and I were immediately on board.

I also checked with my parents since they were paying for our wedding, but they didn’t care one way or another. Their priority was seeing us get married and enjoying time with their friends.

So, the plan moved forward. As a bride, I was excited to cater to someone else’s wishes instead of my own for once.

Planning a lavish event for myself felt a little selfish, especially since my professional life, doing nonprofit work, has been devoted to raising up other people.

Sharing the day was a way to mitigate those feelings. It was also a relief to know that the spotlight would be off of me for at least a few minutes that day.

Plus, Anthony and I’s top priority was for all of our guests to have a good time.

In some ways, a surprise engagement would make our wedding even better. It’d be a chance to spread more joy and be extra entertainment that none of our guests would anticipate.

Guests were shocked, and the proposal seemed to be a hit

For the proposal, I stood with my back to the handful of single women on the dance floor as the emcee narrated the bouquet toss.

When it came time to “toss” the bouquet, I turned around and handed it to Krystina instead. Then, Jeff tapped her on the shoulder and got down on one knee.

Cheers erupted throughout the reception hall. As I saw how happy everyone was, I knew we’d made the right decision.

This moment was reminiscent of my own engagement. My husband had proposed to me in front of our friends, most of whom were attendees at the wedding.

The proposal felt extra special, since most of the same social network knew Jeff and Krystina already (and would later attend their nuptials).

Getting to spotlight someone else’s love is still a highlight of our wedding day

After our wedding, one of my friends, who wasn’t friends with Jeff and Krystina, told me she would never let someone get engaged at her wedding because it’s supposed to be “her” moment.

I let the comment pass because I understood her perspective and respected it. However, the ultimate goal of a wedding is to end up married, and we accomplished that.

Letting someone else get engaged at our wedding didn’t interfere with that at all. The rest of our guests seemed delighted. Krystina was, too.

When I asked her later, she said she was shocked and overjoyed by the proposal. She said it meant a lot that I shared “my” day with her, too.

And each year when we review our wedding photos, that moment remains one of our favorites.

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