Man sparks debate about engagement etiquette after proposing at girlfriend’s college graduation

A man has sparked a debate about proposal etiquette after proposing to his girlfriend at her college graduation.

Vicki, 22, who goes by the username @_vickijean on TikTok, uploaded a video of the surprise proposal at her college graduation from Eastern Illinois University last month.

In the clip, the college grad, who was dressed in her blue gown and graduation cap, could be seen holding her degree as she posed for pictures with her boyfriend Mike.

However, Vicki was then surprised by the appearance of one of her best friends, with the video showing the moment that the TikToker ran to hug her friend.

After excitedly embracing, Vicki then turned back around to find her boyfriend holding out an engagement ring while kneeling on one knee, at which point she covered her face in surprise.

“Was already crying because one of my best friends surprised me and that wasn’t even the real surprise,” Vicki captioned the clip.

In a longer version of the clip posted on TikTok, Vicki could be seen standing motionless in shock as the crowd of family and friends around her cheered. After a beat, she grasped her boyfriend’s hand, at which point the video captured the moment she said: “I think I’m going to pass out” before Mike was able to ask her to marry him.

Despite her shock, Vicki said yes to the proposal, with the crowd erupting into applause as Mike placed the ring on her finger before the couple embraced.

“Still in shock,” Vicki wrote in the caption of the video, which has since been viewed more than 2.7m times.

While many viewers congratulated the couple on their engagement in the comments, others were critical of Mike’s decision to propose during Vicki’s college graduation, as some claimed it took away from her important milestone.

“I would never want to get engaged on my graduation, one celebration at a time,” one person commented, while another said: “She worked her a** off for this moment and he said ‘Look what I can do.’”

“It’s so odd that people propose on the other person’s big day. Like you could have chosen any other day,” someone else wrote, to which another viewer said: “This is exactly what I was thinking? Like can’t she have a single day to be proud of herself?”

Despite the criticism, many others praised the proposal, which one person described as the “sweetest” they’d ever seen. “This is genuinely one of the sweetest proposals I’ve seen,” they wrote.

“This is one of the best proposals I’ve seen, congratulations,” another person wrote, while someone else said: “Aww how exciting, congratulations! Graduation, reuniting with a good friend, AND an engagement?! LOVE THIS! So happy for you!!!”

Others said they would be equally taken aback by the multiple surprises, with one viewer describing the moments as “emotional whiplash”.

“This is so sweet and I’m happy for her! But the way I would feel SO overstimulated by all of this,” another person said.

According to wedding magazine Brides, proposals should not typically take place on the same day as another occasion. “The proposal day should really be a standalone event,” Michele Velazquez, co-founder of The Heart Bandits, a boutique marriage proposal planning service based in Southern California, told the outlet, adding: “It’s about [your partner] and their moment.”

Despite making a “major proposal mistake” by proposing on her graduation day, Vicki reiterated her excitement about her engagement, and her college graduation, on Instagram, where she shared photos of the proposal and wrote: “Graduated from EIU, but also graduated from girlfriend to fiancé. Here’s to forever & then some with my person.”

The Independent has contacted Vicki for comment.