LIMA — Perhaps there is no better way to express your love than doing it “flash mob” style.
Vicki Groves, 68, found herself in that surprising position in front of hundreds of guests Tuesday at Marimor Industries. Still, the answer came just as easy, as she told her friend Gary Carr “yes” when he asked her to marry him.
“I wasn’t expecting this at all,” Groves said. “It was a big surprise.”
Sitting in a chair with Groves standing in front of him, Carr told Groves of his feelings. Groves entered the building to the song “I Think I Want to Marry You” by Bruno Mars playing but still had not quite caught on to what was going. Carr was all smiles ear to ear when asking. His message was simple and right to the point.
“Vicki, I love you,” Carr said. “Will you marry me?”
Groves replied with a simple “yes,” embraced him, and planted a soft kiss right on his cheek. The couple then shared their first dance as newlyweds-to-be, dancing to “The Rose” being sang by Norma Dawson.
The couple, both students at Marimor, have been unconventional but deep-rooted in love. They have been together since 2009. Groves explained how they met each other.
“I lost my husband, Bill, in 2002 and Gary lost his wife in 2008,” Groves said. “Gary grew up with Bill and they were friends.”
Carr admitted to being lonely since he had lost his wife in 2008, and knew almost immediately after he began a friendship with Groves that he wanted to marry her.
“I had been planning to ask her for a long time,” Carr said, “but I knew almost immediately in 2009 that I wanted to ask her.”
The couple have not set a date yet, something they plan to discuss and figure out later. For now, they just plan to spend quality time together.
“The thing I like best about Gary is that he is always there for me,” Groves said. “And I will always be there for him.”
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