Burning love: the proposal that went up in smoke
A MAN set fire to his flat after laying out 100 tea lights reading ‘Marry Me?’ as part of his proposal plans.
Albert Ndreu, 26, spent two weeks meticulously planning the moment after buying a ring for his girlfriend Valerija Madevic. He had decided to surprise her by filling their living room with candles and roughly 60 balloons.
But when he went out to pick up his girlfriend to bring her home for the surprise, the flat caught fire. Fire crews rushed to the scene in Sheffield, South Yorks, at about 8.30pm on Monday.
The studio flat was gutted by flames and smoke damage.
Despite the setback, Mr Ndreu got down on one knee in the charred room and asked Miss Madevic to marry him – and she said yes.
Mr Ndreu said: “Valerija always says the most important thing is the small gestures every day – but I wanted to do something special for the proposal.
“It didn’t go exactly as I thought it would but she said yes, so I think the day took an unexpected turn but ended up exactly how I wanted it to.”
Mr Ndreu spent over four hours preparing his romantic setting, which included having a bottle of Chianti waiting for them and a romantic playlist playing on a speaker. He added: “I hope this serves as a warning for others that maybe there is such a thing as too much love, or too many candles.”
Mr Ndreu and Miss Madevic have been together for just over a year after meeting on a dating website.
The couple are now staying at the home of Mr Ndreu’s cousin. Fortunately, only a laptop, a speaker, and some books were lost in the fire. They said they hoped to tie the knot on the anniversary of the fire and promised to invite the fire brigade as special guests.
The course of true love never did run smooth. There have been plenty of examples to support William Shakespeare’s line in the 400 years or so since he wrote it, but perhaps few more dramatic than that of Albert Ndreu and Valerija Madevic. A restaurant, a secluded glade, even – for some reason – the middle of a sports stadium during half-time, all have served as settings for a marriage proposal. Mr Ndreu, forced to pop the question in the gutted remains of their studio flat after leaving unattended 100 candles spelling out “Marry me?”, may wish he had chosen something simpler. This being true love, of course, it didn’t matter and Miss Madevic accepted. Congratulations are in order, but might we also make a gentle suggestion to the happy couple: that they include a fire extinguisher on their gift list.