A Sydney man faked the kidnapping of his girlfriend during a trip to Lebanon in a wild prank that has been dubbed ‘the most controversial marriage proposal ever’.
Footage of Adam and Vanessa’s surprise engagement was posted on TikTok by his sister Tahlia in early April, and captioned ‘how my brother decided to propose in Lebanon’.
In the video, Vanessa could be seen happily sipping coffee in back seat of a car near Anfeh, in the country’s north-west, with Tahlia, her mother, and another family member.
Strangers in balaclavas then stopped the vehicle in the middle of the road, opened the doors while holding fake guns and dragged the screaming women from their seats.
‘No, please!’ Vanessa could be heard yelling.
‘I’m not going with them – I told them I’ll give them whatever they want.’
Strangers in balaclavas then stopped the vehicle in the middle of the road while holding fake guns (pictured)
Pictured: Vanessa, blindfolded in a car during a fake hostage situation in Lebanon
There were chaotic scenes as the so-called kidnappers pushed a shrieking Vanessa another vehicle and blindfolded her.
Her family, who knew about the surprise proposal, frantically got back in their car and drove off.
‘She’s going to f***ing lose it,’ a male friend could be heard saying.
Vanessa was visibly shaken and confused as she was held hostage and driven to a mystery location – she kept trying to remove her blindfold, but was repeatedly ordered to stop.
She was whimpering in fear by the time she was pulled from the car, still blindfolded, and lead across a gravel path.
‘What’s happening?’ she asked, panicked and overwhelmed with fear.
As her blindfold was removed, live music started playing and her family members started squealing with joy.
Vanessa burst into tears when she realised Adam, her boyfriend of five years, was standing in front of her holding a large bouquet of flowers.
Vanessa was blindfolded during a fake kidnapping (pictured left). She burst into tears when she realised it was a proposal
Vanessa’s long-term boyfriend proposed to her in Lebanon (pictured). She was so overcome with emotion she couldn’t stop crying
He laughed as he walked towards her, placed the flowers on the ground and pulled a ring box from his pocket.
As he got down on one knee to propose, she was overcome with emotion and started simultaneously sobbing and laughing.
‘You’re joking!’ she yelled, tears streaming down her face as she crouched with her head in her hands.
The proposal itself was inaudible, but Adam hugged her and placed the ring on her finger – as musicians and dancers surrounded them in celebration.
Days later, Vanessa uploaded photos of the engagement on social media – featuring photos of her and Adam kissing and looking into the sunset.
She said it was a ‘dream come true’. There was no mention of the fake hostage situation.
TikTok users were divided by the controversial proposal – some were horrified and thought she should have declined, but others thought it was funny and creative.
‘She’s not crying cos he proposing.. she crying cause her life flashed before her eyes and she thought she was [dead],’ one user wrote in the comments.
Another wrote: ‘So cute but horrible all at the same time I would’ve passed out in fear on the way there.’
Someone else suggested it was ‘the best proposal of all time’, while another said he hopes it ‘becomes a trend’.
Vanessa described getting engaged as a ‘dream come true’ in a social media post. She is pictured with Adam, after he proposed
