RICHMOND, Va. — In a video which has recently gone viral, one man puts the love, dedication and devotion he has for his girlfriend on display. Dean Smith decided during his girlfriend Jennifer’s birthday in 2014 that he would spend the next year planning to ask her to be his wife without letting her in on the secret. After filming parts of his video daily over the next year, Smith recruited Jennifer’s friends and family to help him propose to her in person while they were on vacation in Aruba.
“Devotion and dedication! Lot of love went into making this proposal! Dean proposes to Jennifer at the beautiful Playa Linda Resort in Aruba on her birthday, January 8, 2015,” reads the video’s description.
Smith graduated from the University of Virginia in 2011 and Henrico High in 2006.
“Overwhelmed doesn’t even begin to describe it,” Smith said when asked about his reaction to reach of his video. “I made a proposal for the girl of my dreams, hoping that she would at least tear up at the thoughtfulness of the gesture. Now, I have messages and comments from people all over the world telling me that they cried for the entire video, and they don’t even know me!”
“He’s always been a very creative child,” Dean’s mother Chagit Stallman said about her son’s proposal video. She said Dean kept the video secret most of the year, only inviting his family in at the end. “As a parent, all I wish is for my children is to be well adept, positive, contributes to their community, and happy! I believe both my sons are. Hope they will continue to be.”
Stallman said her son’s Internet fame has been overwhelming for her as she has heard from friends around the country and around the world over the last few days. Dean cited love as the reason why the video was so popular.
“I think that people enjoy the video because they can sense the love I have for Jennifer. Without her warm and loving nature, there is no video,” he said. “I put it online initially to allow friends and family to see how the proposal happened, so I never in my life would’ve expected it to become popular with strangers.”
