A MARRIAGE proposal was caught on camera with the help of a family pet.
Unknown to his owner Diane Sullivan, of Lower Heswall, four-year-old Polish lowland sheepdog Ernie was hiding the proposal in an ID tag.
The tag had been hung around his neck by Diane’s boyfriend Tony Griffiths before a photo shoot at Venture, Northgate Street, Chester.
He said: “I really struggled with how to propose because I wanted to make it really special. I thought of taking her to Tiffany’s in New York, then it was going to be on top of Mount Blanc while we were on a skiing holiday.
“But then I realised that I could involve Ernie as well as have the moment captured on camera.
“We had already booked in for a session at Venture, it was an anniversary gift to celebrate two years together.
“I wrote out the tag, put it on Ernie and waited for the right moment. It was terrifying!
“I told the photographer to pop open the champagne and told Di that Ernie had a message for her.
“It went perfectly, especially as I got the answer I wanted.
“Ernie was fantastic. He’s such a character and he’d even make a great best man.”
Snapper Martin Boothman captured the moment on film.
“It was a studio first,” he said. “It was a really special moment, full of emotion and I felt almost as overwhelmed as Diane!
“I am really pleased for them, they are a lovely couple and we were honoured that they chose to share the moment with us.”
Di, of Moston Avenue, added: “It was just amazing, though I might be crying in a few of the pictures!”
