Jiyoon An accepted Shipeng “Troy” Ni’s marriage proposal, which he gave while dressed in a Samoan outfit at the place he and she first met: the Samoan village at the Polynesian Culture Center.
“It’s like you took a huge hit and you slept in bed for two months, but now you realize you can walk again, ” said Ni, a senior majoring in international cultural studies from China, explaining how he relaxed from the nervousness before the proposal. Ni said he began courting An, a sophomore majoring in social work from South Korea, after they met while working at the PCC.
Before Ni proposed, An was sitting next to him in the audience watching the Samoan demonstration. In the middle of the show, Ni excused himself to the restroom. The host of the show called An up to the stage, introducing her as a beautiful PCC tour guide.
An said she was confused about the situation. One of the performers asked her to turn around, and she was surprised to see Ni kneeling down, dressed in traditional Samoan clothes, with ring in hand. “Jiyoon, will you marry me?” asked Ni. An replied, “Yes!” The audience cheered for the couple’s special moment.
Originally planning to wear a tour guide uniform, Ni said a Samoan dancer suggested he wear Samoan clothing. Ni said, “Forget about it! I’ll just put on this outfit! It looks awesome.”
An expressed appreciation for the proposal and said she approved of Ni’s Samoan get-up. “When I was on the stage, I wondered why all my friends were there. Then I turned around and saw him half naked. It scared me,” An said humorously.
The village workers closed the show. An descended from the stage, and her friends rushing to congratulate her as she wiped away tears. Friends of both Ni and An gathered to take a group picture with the newly engaged couple.
Ni said he was grateful to whoever came or helped in the proposal. An said she cried because she was happy to have all of friends present during the special moment. Ni and An plan on returning to Korea to get sealed in an LDS temple. They are planning wedding receptions in Korea and China in July. The proposal happened on April 8.