Klarna Bank

Breaking the Leap Day Tradition: See Kirstin Propose to her Flabbergasted Boyfriend on Hidden Camera

STOCKHOLM, Feb. 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- After nearly 20 years together, Kirstin thought it was time to pop the question. In a romantic restaurant with hidden cameras, extras and artist performances, she got down on her knee and asked her unsuspecting boyfriend Mads to marry her. 

- "We've been together for about half our lives. I think Mads would like to propose to me, but since he hasn't done it by now, I can't wait any longer. I had to take the matter into my own hands", says Kirstin Hermansen.

Eight percent involved in courtship on the anniversary

According to The Knot, only 5 percent of proposals are made by women. Still the search online for "woman proposes to men ideas" increased 336 percent from 2017 to 2018 according to data from Pinterest. 

Traditionally, the leap day, February 29, has been the one day every four years where women are "allowed" to propose to men according to tradition. And since breaking old and outdated traditions is deeply rooted in Klarna's company values, the leading Swedish shopping provider worked together with Kirstin to set the stage for a proposal before the actual leap day - on February 19.

- "When I learned that Klarna was looking for a woman that wanted to break the leap day tradition and propose, I immediately signed up. For a while now I've been considering to proposing, and playing with the idea in my mind, and when I saw Klarna's Story post on Instagram, it was the kick I needed to actually do it. I applied and told my story, and was very happy when I was chosen to be part of this. It is something I really wanted to do", says Kirstin.

See video of the proposal here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8ifqpHNaNM

Hidden camera, extras and a custom song

The whole evening was set up with surprises and hidden cameras to capture Kirstin Hermanssons big proposal to her man, Mads Gudim Burheim. It all happened at a restaurant in Oslo, and included dozens of extras at the scene, including artist Anna Jæger, who performed a song tailor-made for the couple and the proposal. As Kirstin goes down on her knees holding out the ring and proposes, Mads is completely mesmerized.