Boyfriend got down on one knee to propose. But an even bigger surprise completely stole his thunder.

Many couples navigate the challenge of balancing their relationships with friends and partners. But for one woman, that balance came naturally—perhaps even unexpectedly—during her proposal. Instead of keeping her focus on her soon-to-be fiancé, Zaira’s first instinct was to run straight to her best friend, wedding photographer Casey Swanson (@capturedbycase_mn on Instagram), who had secretly been capturing the special moment. Meanwhile, her bewildered boyfriend, Jerry, remained kneeling, still holding the ring, as the viral video left viewers in stitches.

The proposal started off like any other—Jerry dropped to one knee, Zaira joyfully accepted, and the couple sealed the moment with a kiss. Everything was going as planned until Zaira’s best friend, Casey, made an unexpected appearance. Jerry, caught off guard, watched as his fiancée suddenly abandoned their romantic moment and sprinted toward her bestie, leaving him alone with the ring still in hand. “When the real surprise is your bestie,” read the text overlay on the now-viral video. As Casey snapped photos, the sound of the camera shutter immediately stole Zaira’s attention, shifting her focus away from the proposal that Jerry had so carefully orchestrated.

“Oh my God!” the woman yelled in excitement, gushing over the fact that her bestie was present during the proposal. She immediately jumped into her arms, not realizing that her partner had not yet finished with his part. Jerry even leaned toward Zaira to hold her and stop her from getting away. However, the woman didn’t mind including her best friend in the celebration, as the couple was ready to take their relationship one step closer to the wedding. As Jerry looked down by the end of the 12-second clip, he was still holding the ring tightly in his hands. 

“Yesterday was full of surprises! The proposal was the perfect surprise, and once Zaira noticed I was there, it was a wrap,” Casey quipped in the description. The Minnesota-based wedding photographer went on to suggest that she planned a twin surprise for her bestie by showing up at her already surprising proposal. “The proposal was a huge surprise, but surprising your best friend is something different,” wrote Casey in the detailed caption about the entire incident. She further apologized to Jerry for showing up at their proposal without being invited. “Jerry, I’m so sorry, but we knew it would go this way. I just don’t think we expected her to leave you hanging like that,” she concluded, inviting a variety of reactions. “This is the cutest thing ever because who are we without our girls,” @barbarah.william remarked. “The most natural reaction ever is to run to your person because you’re excited about your person,” @sylvester_danielle_ agreed.

You can follow Casey Swanson (@capturedbycase_mn) on Instagram for more wedding-related and wholesome content.