Boyfriend pulls off 'best proposal' ever and it's so epic that no one can recreate it until 2044

The total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024 was witnessed by millions of people in the U.S., Mexico and Canada. While most people had their eyes focused on the sky for a glimpse of the solar event, one man decided to take advantage of the rare occasion and propose to his girlfriend. The incredible scene, captured in a frame by a photographer named Macy, looks straight out of a fairy tale and people won't be able to recreate it by the next total solar eclipse. 

The adorable proposal was shot when Macy Alex, a professional photographer from Lewisville, was contacted by Alex Hoffpauir of Lake Charles, Louisiana. He wanted to surprise his girlfriend, Austynn Harbison, with a marriage proposal in North Texas during the eclipse. After finalizing the plan, they zeroed in on Murrell Park, located in Flower Mound on the shore of Grapevine Lake. 

The photographer (@macyalexphoto) uploaded the special moment on TikTok with the caption, "Come with me for the most stressful but rewarding shoot of my career." In the opening frames of the video, Macy gives a brief tour of the spot where Alex would propose to his girlfriend. As the video progresses, we see the couple sit on the spot waiting for the eclipse to unfold with the photographer setting her camera to capture the special moment.

As the moon draws closer to the sun, we see Alex getting ready for the big surprise. The next frames of the clip transition to Alex getting down on his knee to propose to Austynn with the magnificent total eclipse in the background. The photographer also shared the final shot at the end of the clip.

Sharing the details with Cross Timbers Gazette, Macy said she wanted Alex to propose at Murrell Park. She said, "I suggested Murrell Park because to be able to capture them and the eclipse at the same time, I needed to be lower than them, and the cliffs at Murrell made that possible." She added that she was stressing over the details to ensure she got the shot since there were no do-overs, “I showed up 45 minutes early, and I was just trying to maintain my composure. I wanted to nail it."

The proposal shot was hugely appreciated on the internet. People applauded the photographer for capturing the moment with precision. One user, CieraBlue (@cierablue), commented, "You didn’t get 'the shot,' you got THE SHOT. Phenomenal."

Couples in the Americas won't be able to recreate this moment for around 20 years as the next total solar eclipse will happen on August 12, 2026, but it will only be visible in Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Russia and a small area of Portugal. It will happen again in 2033 (in Alaska) but it will only be on August 23, 2044, that people from the contiguous United States will be able to see a total solar eclipse again.

You can follow Macy Alex Photo (@macyalexphoto) for more clips on photography.