A young Australian woman who was set up in a pub by her “ultimate mate” father is now engaged to the same man.
Alice James, a Melbourne publicist, was drinking a pint of beer when her father, Darren, diverted her attention to the “total hottie” sitting at the bar.
“I had obviously noticed this stunning gentleman with his partner in the bar as soon as we walked in. Dad said ‘leave it to me’ and then jumped out of his seat,” Alice, 32, previously told FEMAIL.
Now, almost two years later, her partner Michael popped the question, leaving thousands of followers on social media envious of their real-life love story.
Alice met Michael after opening night of Six The Musical in 2022.
The then-30-year-old woman said she and her father were “talking trash” after their night out before she noticed Michael sitting at the bar with a friend.
Darren struck up a conversation with the young men and asked them if they “went through Collingwood”, then turned to the eligible bachelor and asked how old he was and if he was single.
Then Dad pointed at me and said, “Well, this is my daughter and she’s very single.” As the night went on, we all continued chatting until the two guys at the bar got up to leave and Dad stopped them, saying, “Wait! You can’t leave! You haven’t exchanged numbers!” Alice recalled.
Alice James, from Melbourne, met her now fiancé Michael while drinking in the pub with her father Darren. Last week, almost two years later, Michael popped the question.
Darren ran to the bar, grabbed the order pad and made the two of them write down each other’s digits.
“The kid was so nervous he gave his number to my dad instead of me, how funny!” Alice said.
The next morning, Alice sent Michael a text saying, “Sorry about my dad,” with a laughing emoji, and the rest was history.
Alice shared the cute way Michael proposed to her while walking their dog in the Yarra.
The father of Alice’s ‘ultimate partner’ was ‘very proud’ and shed a tear when he heard the news (pictured: Alice and her father Darren on the fateful night in the pub)
Michael asked Alice’s parents if he could marry her a couple of months ago and they’ve kept it a secret ever since.
“It took me very by surprise; it’s something we do regularly, so it was really beautiful and very us,” she recalled.
“We stopped at a little secluded spot by the river and then he hugged me and told me how much he loved me, which he has been doing for a while, so I still had no idea!
‘It wasn’t until he knelt that I understood what was happening. I burst into happy tears, got down on my knees and gave him the biggest hug I’ve ever had!’
Michael had asked Alice’s parents a few months ago if he could marry her and they had kept the secret ever since.
Speaking to FEMAIL, Alice shared the cute way Michael proposed to her one night while walking their dog in the Yarra.
“It took me very by surprise; it’s something we do regularly, so it was really beautiful and very us,” she recalled.
“Afterwards we had a big family lunch at the football, so we waited until we got there and I walked in and surprised everyone with my ring,” he said.
The family rejoiced, tears were shed, and Alice’s father was “very proud.”
‘All our friends and family came and celebrated with us all night. We had a really fun (great) night!’ Alice said.
The two lovebirds haven’t made wedding plans yet, but they are using “every excuse to celebrate.” ‘We’re on cloud nine but we’re both so excited to start planning!’ Alice said
Hundreds of people on TikTok also congratulated the couple after she shared the news.
‘The next night we went and had a celebratory drink at The Retreat in Abbotsford, where we met. It was so lovely. Imagine if Dad never came near you!’
The two lovebirds haven’t made wedding plans yet, but they are using “every excuse to celebrate.”
‘We’re on cloud nine but we’re both so excited to start planning!’ Alice said.
Alice announced her engagement by sharing an update with her 54,000 TikTok followers.
He recorded a video in the same pub where they met and recreated the scene that began their love story.