To make their proposals to their girlfriends even more special, two different men, with the same idea, decided to use the kite as a backdrop.
This is how the proposals came together.
For John Nicotera, the cosmic event ended up being a plan B. His original plans to propose to his girlfriend, Erica Pendrak, 26, in Oregon, failed due to Covid-19.
“I was very discouraged because I was going to do it at Crater Lake and it would be amazing,” he told CNN.
Nicotera, who proclaims himself a “space junkie,” had been following the comet, and after leaving blank how to offset his planned proposal, clicked.
“This could be our commitment,” he said, he thought to himself. “This is not going to happen in our lives or in the lives of five generations.”
Nicotera decided to take Pendrak to Old Forge, New York, near his family’s camp to see the comet. He had been in contact with his friend Tim Leach, who was an avid photographer and lived in the area, to get an idea of the best sport.
On the way, he realized he forgot the binoculars, he called Leach hoping to have a pair he could borrow, but unfortunately he didn’t. The two decided to reunite with their girlfriends so they could see the comet through Leach’s camera.
Nicotera then spilled the beans to Leach over the proposal and the two devised a last-minute plan. They didn’t even finish it until just before Nicotera proposed.
Couples were taking photos with the comet when Nicotera knew it was time. She approached Leach and told her in the next image that she was doing it.
“Each star was out … it was too special to let go,” he said.
He knelt down and asked Pendrak to marry him. The funny part was that he had to tell him not to move for seven seconds to get shot. After celebrating, they organized another photo to make sure the euphoric moment was captured.
“Tim froze time for us so we can live this moment forever,” said Nicotera. “I have never seen anything so beautiful.”
The perfect setup
Brian Thompson’s proposal to 28-year-old Hanna Allen also included a surprisingly perfect photo of Neowise.
“Brian really likes photography … and he loves, he loves taking photos of stars and astrology,” Allen told CNN.
He had been tracking the comet and she said she hadn’t seen it yet, so he decided to take her to the farm where they live in Bahama, North Carolina, so they could take a picture with the cosmic wonder.
“The light was shining on me so that he could see us in the picture, so that he couldn’t see anything,” he said. “Then he appears out of nowhere and is on his knees asking me to marry him.”
She said she had no idea he was going to propose to her and was so excited that she didn’t even care about the humidity or the fact that she was wearing sweatpants.
“He told me he proposed to one in a million under a comet that we only see every 6,800 years,” Allen said.
“All his friends are mad at him because he set the standard because who else would propose under a comet,” he joked.
CNN’s Nick Scott contributed to this report.
.
