VIDEO: Doncaster man tells all about his daring holiday marriage proposal on stage

Paul Marsden, aged 43, of Scawthorpe Avenue, Scawthorpe, proposed to his bride-to-be, Wendy, on a sun-filled getaway to the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico.

The plucky proposal took place in front of a packed Irish bar called Blarney Stone.

Paul – who confesses he is no professional songster – took to the stage, telling the crowd he was from Doncaster before bursting into The Proclaimers’ hit, Let’s Get Married.

Wendy joined her now fiancé on stage before Paul got down on one knee and asked for her hand in marriage with a Haribo sweet ring.

Paul and Wendy have known each other for 40 years and went to the same play group, Rosedale Road primary school and Ridgewood secondary school. However, the Doncaster pair only got together 18 months ago.

Paul said: “I knew Wendy from being small and going to the same schools. We kind of went our separate ways after that.

“I went to a school reunion about five or six years ago and we got chatting.

“We seemed to hit it off and we got talking on Facebook. I suggested we went for a drink and we’ve now been together for 18 months.

“It’s so weird to think that I knew her all my life and then we got together so many years later – it’s true love!”

Taxi driver Paul and his now fiancée Wendy booked a trip to Puerto Rico but Paul said he hadn’t planned to propose on holiday.

He added: “I knew I wanted to marry her but at the time of booking the holiday I didn’t know I’d do it then.

“I had to arrange with the bar DJ to fetch the song and sort out arrangements.”

Paul admitted that he did have to rely on a bit of Dutch courage to get him on stage to belt out the song.

“I thought there wouldn’t be loads of people in but it turned out there was a fair few,” Paul said.

“I had several large Southern Comforts before I got on stage!

“Wendy said to me, ‘Are you sure you’re all right? You seem really quiet.’

“I was nervous she could tell something was wrong. She asked if I wanted to go back to the hotel if I was feeling unwell.”

But the plan was already in motion as plucky Paul asked somebody to film his daring deed. At the time of the proposal, Paul didn’t have a ring and used a Haribo sweet instead. But the absence of a flashy rock didn’t deter Wendy as she said yes.

The pair picked a ring last Sunday and are yet to set a date for their wedding.