Marriage proposal at East Sussex zoo surrounded by penguins

Louise Middlewood knew she wanted to prepare a unique proposal for her partner Naomi.

Naomi loves penguins so Louise got Drusillas Zoo involved to plan the special moment. Extra staff were on hand to help execute the plan and capture the moment on camera. The chosen day – January 11 – also fell on Naomi’s 30th birthday, so the special fuss didn’t raise any suspicions.

After feeding the colony of Humboldt penguins, the couple were asked to hunt for a small toy egg that had been hidden on the penguin beach, which contained a note inside asking Naomi to turn around – where Louise was waiting on one knee with the ring, and a backdrop of penguins.

Louise commented: “Penguins were the obvious choice for my proposal, as Naomi just loves them and it has always been on her bucket list to be up close and personal with them - so it just felt right. On the day the penguins were on their best behaviour and helped to pull off a very special moment indeed!”

Marketing manager Tamara Nasser said: “It is always an honour to be asked to help with such a special occasion, and this was particularly fun as we had to keep lots of little secrets between us and Louise on the day, I even had to ‘steal’ her car keys to get everything set up before Naomi noticed! We wish them huge congratulations and a lifetime of happy memories.”

More news from East Sussex