Triple celebrations as Derbyshire boyfriend pulls off ‘surprise of the year’ and proposes to girlfriend in unique way

Dean Smith met girlfriend Charlotte on a dating site in October 2021, by April 2022 Charlotte found out she was pregnant.

Dean 29, from Whaley Bridge, said: “We had a chat and realised if we do this we will be in each others lives forever.

“ I couldn’t see myself being with anyone else and I realised it was true love.”

Charlotte Johnson, 26, is type one diabetic and had a difficult pregnancy and baby Esme was born six weeks premature and was in intensive care for a week.

Dean said: “Esme is a little fighter and she has brought us closer as a couple.

“Me and Charlotte had spoke about getting married but it seemed every time we went away or on a nice day trip it was like she was expecting me to get down on one knee and propose.

“I wanted it to be a true surprise and one she wasn’t expecting.”

Dean asked Charlotte’s dad for permission a year before he popped the question.

As Esme’s first birthday and christening was drawing near Dean knew all their friends and family would there and Charlotte would not be expecting it.

“It took so much planning,” said Dean.

Dean has driven trucks since he was 18 and since being with Charlotte the couple decided to invest their money and open their own haulage company.

So Dean had a sign printed to pin to the front of a truck and roped in some friends to help.

Thankfully the driver turned the sign around until just before they got on to the car park so the cover was not blown.

The proposal was going to happen during the party after the christening at Whaley Bridge Bowling Club. The plan was for the fire alarm to be pulled and everyone would evacuate to the car park where the truck would come round the corner delivering the message.

“Of course it didn’t got to plan,” said Dean.

“I gave my future father-in-law the ring for safekeeping and he left it at home in Macclesfield so that delayed things by an hour.

“But with the ring back with me the fire alarm was sounded and we all traipsed out into the car park.

“Charlotte could hear the horn going but thought it was the fire engine and when it came round the corner she was lost for words.

“I love her so much and I’m so pleased I managed to pull off the surprise of the year.

“A lot of people were in on it and I really couldn’t have done it without them.

“People say their children being born is the happiest moment of their lives but as Esme was so poorly it wasn’t a happy occasion for us - it was full of worry.

“We never thought she would make it to her first birthday so to be here, with my little girl turning one and asking my girlfriend to marry me really was the happiest moment of my life.”