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Viewers of the Today show were treated to a special surprise by way of an early morning proposal!
Fans and co-anchors alike were surprised on Friday, Oct. 17, when a couple got engaged on the Today Show Plaza outside of 30 Rockefeller Center as the cameras were rolling.
Willie Geist first teased the moment early in the show, saying, “Something very special just happened out on our Plaza so we decided to make it our Morning Boost,” referencing Jenna Bush Hager’s daily Morning Boost segment, which highlights a touching moment online or in the news.
Geist later shared, “We saw something happening outside the window and then there was a commotion and they swung the cameras around.”
TODAY/YouTube
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The commotion was a touching proposal from a couple in the crowd. Luke and Rachel from Chicago shared their milestone moment publicly when Luke used some fellow Plaza-goers to help him pull off the proposal.
Today co-anchor Sheinelle Jones shared that the couple met in college 10 years ago. And while Rachel thought they were in town to visit friends, Luke had a surprise up his sleeve.
“Rachel is the world’s biggest fan of the Today show, so this trip has been planned for weeks,” Luke shared with Jones, Carson Daly, Geist and Dylan Dreyer. “But I had a friend help with some planning, with some signs.”
TODAY/YouTube
Luke also noted that he specifically timed his proposal to take place when cameras were rolling.
“I had to give it some time,” he explained. “There was a sign held for some time, and I got some help from the crowd. The camera crew got it on camera.”
Daly teased Rachel, asking why they didn’t wait for the NBC morning show staples to head out to the Plaza as they typically do so around 8:30 a.m. local time.
“I know, Carson,” Rachel replied. “I’m waiting for you!”
Daly then offered to officiate the couple’s wedding on one important condition — the location.
“I am ordained in the state of Oklahoma for Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani, if you want to go there, I could legally do it there,” Daly quipped. The Voice host officiated Shelton and Stefani’s 2021 nuptials in Oklahoma.
TODAY/YouTube
Later in the show, the co-anchors met the couple in person on the Plaza marveling at Rachel’s massive rectangular-cut ring.
“All I heard was ‘Where’s Rachel? Where’s Rachel?’ and I go, ‘Well, I’m Rachel,’ and then the crowd parted and I saw the sign across the way,” the bride-to-be said, showing off the signs from her future groom.
