A man skipped a dream proposal during their 10-day Italy getaway and waited until they got home. The real reason is winning people over
Surprise proposals are always exciting, but it's really hard to pull off a successful plan. When New York resident Joe Fromer took his girlfriend, Sydney Burger, who goes by @burgerqueen1016, to Italy for a 10-day vacation, she assumed he was going to pop the question at any time. Fromer even bought shoes for his future fiancée during their trip, making her even more convinced that a proposal was imminent. But contrary to Burger's expectations, the couple returned home without getting engaged. On June 25, 2026, ABC News revealed the real reason why he chose not to propose in Italy, waiting until the couple returned home.
@burgerqueen1016 I can’t believe there was ever a world where I thought I was gonna look pretty at my engagement #fyp #engagement #thatsmyfiance ♬ original sound - Patrick Bateman’s Headphones
In their TikTok video, Fromer revealed, "I put the shoes on her, and she thought a ring would pop out, and we just went to dinner." However, Fromer had other plans. "I wanted it to be very surprising. It's hard to really surprise her," he said, while Burger added, "I'm a detective." His plan wasn't devised by him alone. He was joined by two of their friends, including Jonathan Choeff, who helped Fromer get the apartment ready for the big day. They got Burger's favorite sunflowers from a florist and decorated the living room with flowers and candles. As soon as the couple returned from their 10-hour-long flight, Fromer popped the big question, which was captured on their Ring camera.
According to another video, Fromer planned an engagement photoshoot at Central Park the next day. However, his entire proposal caught internet users off guard. Many believed he was pranking her after passing up the chance to propose in Italy. Some even assumed he had forgotten to take the ring on the trip. Fromer noted, "(The proposal) provoked a lot of discourse around what a proposal should look like." However, for Burger, the surprise was everything. "It was perfectly us, and unfortunately (or fortunately) an aesthetic Italy proposal just isn't!" she said.
From grand romantic gestures to intimate moments at home, people's ideas of the perfect proposal are far from universal. According to a report released by Worldmetrics, 41% of women preferred private proposals compared to 29% of men. It also found that 37% of proposals included family in the setup, while 23% featured a travel element, such as a vacation or destination proposal.
Viewers took to the comments section to share their opinions. @lifewiththemoorefam commented, "This man clearly knew you were expecting it in Italy, and he wanted you to be truly surprised." @sheriwjames wrote, "He really said, 'Never let them know your next move.'” @me.and.bambi shared, "You guys had an amazing holiday together, then he proposed when you were home, comfy and happy. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this."
For more such stories, follow @burgerqueen1016 on TikTok.
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