The story behind this Memphis couple's surprise double wedding proposal video

Marangeli Lopez
USA TODAY NETWORK- Tennessee
Becky McCabe proposes to Jessa Gillaspie at the Memphis Zoo on May 25,  2018. The couple, who met at the University of Memphis, unknowingly planned to pop the question to each other on the same day. Their mutual friend caught it on video.

A proposal within a proposal.

Jessa Gillaspie and Becky McCabe, a couple who met at the University of Memphis, unknowingly planned to pop the question to each other on the same day. Their mutual friend caught it on video and the footage, posted Sunday, went viral on Facebook.

The couple discussed marriage for a few months but were unsure of the proper time, McCabe said. They each purchased rings around November and kept their proposal plans a secret.

Their first date was two years ago attending Zoo Brew at the Memphis Zoo with a group of friends. The beer sampling event went through a hiatus last year, but returned last Friday. When McCabe learned about the event's comeback, she knew it was the perfect backdrop for her proposal, she said.    

“That is where we had our first date. I knew that had to be the moment,” she said.

She planned the moment for three weeks with the help from her friend Erica Kessler. The two gathered the same group of friends to return to the zoo.

Kessler said she was excited for them and vowed to help McCabe through the proposal process. The plan was for McCabe to propose and for Kessler to record it . When McCabe dropped to one knee and asked “Will you marry me?” , Gillaspie began rummaging through her bag.  

“We were blown away that she was gonna propose at the same time,” Kessler said. “We still cannot believe that happened.”

Gillaspie describes her proposal planning process as more spontaneous. She said it was not until Friday morning when she perceived the zoo as the best proposal spot.

“I grabbed the ring and said to myself, 'When the moment is right, I will feel it in my heart,’” Gillaspie said.

The proposal went better than expected, McCabe said. They were happy to share one of the happiest moments of their life — an unforeseen coincidence — with the world.

“It’s just amazing that we have made so many people smile around the world,” Gillaspie said.

The couple plans to get married a year from now after McCabe finishes her doctorate program at the University of Memphis, Gillaspie said.

“Love is good in any form as long as it’s really love. I hope anybody can be as happy as I am with her,” Gillaspie said.