Couple get engaged in new Queensferry Crossing proposal
He told partner Carrie Taylor they were going on a rare “educational tour” of the structure for her 30th birthday.
Then he popped the question, wearing a hard hat and hi-vis jacket on what will become Britain’s highest bridge.
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Hide AdCarrie said the 1.7-mile Queensferry Crossing would hold a special place in their hearts forever following the “huge surprise”.
She said both she and Mark, from Perthshire, have been fascinated by the construction of the new £1.3bn bridge which, once completed, will be the longest three-tower, cable-stayed bridge on the planet. The Forth Road Bridge will then become a public transport corridor.
Carrie said: “It was Saturday, which was my 30th birthday. He asked me what I wanted to do in the morning. In the evening I was going out with my sister.
“I said I wanted to go through to Edinburgh to get breakfast.
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Hide Ad“He took this detour when we got off the Forth Road Bridge and went into Queensferry Visitor Centre.
“I was really nervous. I thought he was going there to take me bungee-jumping off the bridge.
“I just didn’t expect anything. My 30th birthday was going good, going over the tallest bridge in the UK. I thought that was great.”
Mark, 33 and Carrie were given a briefing by senior staff before embarking on the “one-off” visit, and were kitted out in safety gear including high-vis jackets and hard hats.
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Hide AdWhen they offered to have their photo taken, Carrie realised quickly that a video was being recorded instead.
She added: “Mark got down on one knee and asked to marry me. It wasn’t the outfit I would have chosen. I said ‘can I take my gloves off?’
“I had no idea it was coming. Mark sort of double-bluffed me. He said it was too cliche to do it on my birthday.
“At the time I was just in complete shock.
“It was a really special moment.
“Certainly nobody else can say they got proposed to on the Queensferry Crossing.”
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Hide AdMark, 33, is an SSE compliance auditor with a love of engineering who finds the crossing “fascinating”.
He had secured Carrie’s mum’s wedding ring, and had it fitted with an emerald.
Carrie, who works as a regional support manager for a private healthcare provider, added her son, Taylor, eight, was delighted at the news.
A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “As a one-off it was nice to help out this lovely couple and provide a unique backdrop for a surprise proposal.
“We wish them all the very best for their future.”
The crossing is due to be finished between mid-July and the end of August.
Its towers will be 656ft high upon completion.