I do: Proposal after Express & Star advert
It was a devastating blow which left her Valentine's Day dreams in tatters, but thankfully only for a brief moment.
Carla Feehan had got tired of waiting for a marriage proposal from her sweetheart, so she decided to speed up the process with an advert in the Express & Star.
But her own proposal, asking for the hand of Dave Jones in the paper's Valentine messages section, was met with a brief chuckle followed by an abrupt 'no' from her partner of five years.
The mother-of-two, who lives near Wolverhampton's West Park, said the refusal left her heartbroken, but moments later Dave produced a glittering diamond engagement ring and uttered the words that Carla had been longing to hear.
"He just said 'will you marry me instead?'," said the 27 year old. "A few seconds earlier I had been in complete bits. When I asked him to marry me he said 'no' with a straight face. My heart sank.
"I put the advert in the paper because I was tired of waiting for him to pop the question. When he finally did it was a massive relief. I thought 'it's about bloody time!"
Carla said she met Dave, 31, a personal trainer from Willenhall, at an anti-Valentine's night at the Hollywood Bowl, Bentley Bridge, Wolverhampton, in 2010.
"It was called AMS Bowling at the time and they put on a night for people who hated Valentine's Day," she said.
"I was single then and went along with a group of friends. At the time I wasn't bothered about meeting anyone. We were just there to have a laugh really.
"Dave was bowling in the next lane across and I just couldn't take my eyes off him. We got together and after a while I decided that I wanted to be his wife."
The couple, who plan to move in together later this month, have a 16-week-old daughter, Kira.
Carla also has a six-year-old daughter, Tori, from a previous relationship.
Carla said the couple hope to get married in February 2016 – the sixth anniversary of their first meeting.
"I don't care what sort of wedding it is, whether it's a big or small ceremony it doesn't matter," Carla said.
"Neither of us had any plans to get married. But he's a great guy and I suppose at some point over the years I decided he was the right one.
"We've both changed in that respect. I can't stop looking at my engagement ring. It's so beautiful. I'm just looking forward to being his wife."
