Every relationship has important milestones: first month anniversary, moving in together, adopting a kitten and getting engaged. Engagement is a big step, a declaration to your partner and the world that they are the ones you want to spend your life with. Some people choose a low-key affair, popping the question in their own kitchen or backyard, while some go all out. Riley Nagel, a reporter for Tennessee news station WRCB, decided to surprise his girlfriend Cornelia with a surprising proposal while live on air. Now that’s the kind of news we love to see!

Local news anchor was having an ordinary day at work, unaware she was in for the surprise of a lifetime

Image credits: TODAY Show

It was an ordinary workday at WRCB, a news station in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Cornelia Nicholson, a reporter and weekend anchor, was recording a promotional video on set. What she didn’t know was that she was in for the surprise of a lifetime from her boyfriend Riley Nagel. Riley is not only her partner in life but also in work – he is a reporter at the same news station. So that’s how he gained access to the studio!

With the help of other staff members, Riley devised a plan to sweep his beloved girlfriend off her feet. Cornelia was concentrating on work, reading from the teleprompter: “Coming up right now, we have the story of two young journalists who managed to find love in the same industry.” After reading the sentence, Cornelia perhaps had an inkling that something was about to happen, because she smiled brightly. “Local 3’s Riley Nagel joins us in studio with a special report?” she asked, and then he walked in!

Holding a bouquet of flowers and a ring box, visibly nervous, Riley walked in and said “That’s right, Cornelia, I do have a very special report.” Could this be any more romantic? Yes. Beaming, Riley asked the most important question: “Cornelia Nicholson… would you marry me?” Riley, everyone in the studio and all the people watching the video held their breath until finally, teary-eyed, Cornelia nodded her head.

Image credits: TODAY Show

“Coming up right now we have the story of two young journalists who managed to find love in the same industry,” Cornelia read from the teleprompter

Image credits: TODAY Show

Image credits: TODAY Show

“Local 3’s Riley Nagel joins us in studio with a special report?” she questioned and her smile grew brighter when she began to suspect something

Image credits: TODAY Show

Image credits: TODAY Show

Such a romantic proposal would make anyone emotional, so no wonder Cornelia was overwhelmed. She managed to say, “I’m going to cry” before finally uttering the magic “yes”. She extended her hand, allowing her new fiancé to put the beautiful engagement ring onto her finger, sealing the deal.

Cornelia shared the romantic video on social media platform X (Twitter) and it quickly went viral, making everyone believe in love again. Who could resist such a romantic gesture? In the caption she wrote “The love of my life proposed to me on TV”, raising the standards for future fiancés all over the world. The bride-to-be thanked everyone who helped Riley to surprise her. It takes a village to raise a kid and it takes a bunch of supportive co-workers to turn an ordinary day into the most romantic one.

Riley presented Cornelia with a stunning ring and popped the question. Everyone held their breath waiting for an answer

Image credits: TODAY Show

She said “YES” and made Riley the happiest man on Earth. Just look at their smiles

Image credits: TODAY Show

Most of the comments were positive, praising Riley for his bravery – not everyone would dare to propose on TV. Some of the commentators said that such a display was unnecessary and those who like to show off their love in a public manner are usually the ones who have issues in the relationship. But is that true? Well, recent studies say so. Couples who share three or more selfies per week are allegedly 128% unhappier than their more discreet counterparts. I bet you’re thinking about that one couple who always make up or break up depending on their mood or moon phase.

But not everything is as dark as it seems. Some people are just genuinely in love and want to scream from the rooftops how much they adore their partner. Since getting on most rooftops is illegal, they resort to posting cute selfies and tagging each other in adorable memes. Why shouldn’t they?

Still, there are things to consider when posting about your partner on social media. Avoid posting arguments online – this can negatively impact your friends and family’s view of your partner and deeply hurt them. Don’t post anything personal – perhaps you find your partner singing on the toilet adorable, but it is a huge violation of privacy. Imagine his potential boss finding it? Huge NO.

Image credits: TODAY Show

In an interview with BoredPanda, a fourth year psychology student, Evelina Lipinyte, shared her insights on social media. “It’s actually an interesting subject to ponder on. Unfortunately, there are no official studies that would prove it’s good or bad. From what we learn, there are a few reasons why people would post a lot about their SO’s on social media.At the beginning of the relationship, we all feel slightly insecure – what if they realize they don‘t like us anymore? So posting on social media makes it more official and hundreds of likes and positive comments from friends and family gives a nice validation” Ms Lipinyte wrote. “However, I believe that happiest couples don’t have time to post on the medias – they are too busy strengthening their bond off screen. Social media can create issues of jealousy that can put cracks in unstable foundation so use it sparingly” she warned us.

Riley’s romantic gesture reminds us that romance is all around us and any moment can be a special one with some effort and a lot of love

Image credits: TODAY Show

Cornelia and Riley’s story is solid proof that romance is alive and well in our fast-paced and seemingly cold world. Love is in every corner of it, with stories waiting to happen when two strangers bump into each other on their way home. Others will realize they love their annoying spouse who forgot to bring toilet paper home, but made the best cup of hot cocoa and kissed them on their forehead after they had a hard day at work. And I love my dog.

We wish to congratulate Cornelia and Riley on their engagement and wish them a stress-free wedding planning. They already proved that they know ways to make moments extraordinary and hopefully will continue to go on surprising each other for many years to come. Genuine love lights up any setting – even a newsroom and we definitely needed some positivity on TV.

Do you know any romantic proposal stories?

Watch video here:

FIANCÉ: The love of my life proposed to me on tv 😭 I’m still in shock! This was the most perfect day. Thank you to all my friends/coworkers who helped hide this from me and make it happen! 💖💖 @Local3News pic.twitter.com/YL4iXyWpMF

— Cornelia Nicholson (@CorneliaLocal3) August 20, 2023

People in the comments were cheering on the happy couple

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