Jake Quickenden proposed to his girlfriend in front of pictures of their deceased relatives.
Jake Quickenden
The former 'X Factor' contestant popped the question to Danielle Fogarty - who he has been dating for two years - on his birthday on September 3 at his favourite wine bar, and wanted to make sure those they had loved and lost were part of the special moment, so had photos of his girlfriend's beloved grandmothers Jean and Pat and his own dad Paul and brother Oliver, 19, placed on their table.
Danielle said: "The pictures set us off.."
Jake added: "I wanted my dad, brother and Danielle's grandparents to share in our joy. When big milestone moments happen, their absence is felt all the more."
And the couple's joy was also shared by their immediate families within 20 minutes of celebrating with a bottle of champagne.
Jake told HELLO! magazine: "Danielle always said she wanted her family around when she gets engaged and I felt the same. We're both really close to our families so as soon as everyone walked around the corner, we were both crying again."
The surprises didn't end there, as the couple then returned to their house in Mellor, Blackburn, where over 30 of their friends and family members were waiting to celebrate their engagement.
And Jake had confided in all of them about his proposal plans.
He quipped: "If I'd said the invite was for my birthday, nobody would have turned up."
The hunky singer opted to propose on his birthday so he could "get away" with acting oddly.
He said: "From the moment we met, I knew I'd propose one day and I chose to do it on my birthday because I knew I could get away with being a bit sneaky."
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