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Public wedding proposals are a risky business, with the proposer setting themself up for a particularly humiliating fall should their partner decide they’re not ready to commit.
But for one Chinese man it wasn’t the fear of an unhappy marriage that caused his would-be bride to publicly reject him, it was because the diamond ring he’d used to propose was not big enough.
According to reports in the Chinese media, the as-yet-unidentified man arranged for his elaborate proposal to take place on the street in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province.
The proposal appears to have started off well enough, with the girlfriend bursting into tears of joy when she dancers in fancy dress and street performers holding roses guiding the route to her man.
Wearing a smart black coat, the boyfriend then went down on one knee in front of his beaming would-be bride, opening a jewellery box containing a diamond engagement ring as he did so.
Her smile fell away moments later, however, when she noticed the ring was not quite as large as she’d hoped.
“Her eyes went wide as she put her hand over her mouth, and then she turned around and walked away without saying anything,” an eyewitness told local television.
Appearing to confirm the reason for rejection, screenshots of a WeChat messenger conversation involving the conversation were later shared on Chinese social media.
“But he agreed to buy me a diamond ring as large as one carat. Why was this one so small? Is he so careless, or has he ever cared about me?” one message reads.
“Don't worry. Perhaps the bigger one will be waiting for you later or he hasn't prepared it for this time,” a friends replies.
