Man uses Uber to surprise girlfriend with marriage proposal

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Sunday, May 10, 2015
Man uses Uber to surprise girlfriend with marriage proposal
Most people use Uber to get around town, but one man used it to propose to his girlfriend.

HOUSTON, Texas -- Most people use Uber to get around town, but one young man used the Uber to get engaged.

Bride-to-be Katelyn Kainer never saw the proposal coming. "He got down on one knee and then asked me to marry him and I said yes. And then I was like, 'are you kidding me,"' she said.

The big surprise was not the proposal, but the surprising journey her now-fiance took to get the ring. Like any good love story, this one has a twist. Hudson Hoyle, a recent Texas A&M graduate and business consultant took a second job as an Uber driver to buy the diamond. Kainer had no idea.

"He would say, 'Oh yeah, I just hung out with friends,' and I would say, 'OK yeah, whatever. I guess I trust you,'" Kainer said.

Kainer's job frequently required her to work evenings, which gave Hoyle an opportunity to hit the streets.

"At first, it just started out as an idea to save some extra money for an engagement ring," he said.

But along the way, he decided to record his whole engagement journey for Kainer, using a phone and his camera to document the people who helped him make it happen.

"I made a sign and started telling people about it and wanting to document the whole process because I thought Katie would love to see this after the proposal," Hoyle said.

Kainer not only got the ring, but a video scrapbook of all of the rides, all of the miles and all the strangers that helped pay for it.

"Everybody seemed to love this story, the more I told it, the more I realized it made people really happy," Hoyle said.

He popped the question on a weekend trip to Hill Country.

"The ring is just amazing, he did just too much, too much and I'm just over the moon," Kainer said.

Hoyle said he's going to put the brakes on Uber driving to help out with wedding planning. Now, these two will begin their own happily ever after, thanks to their Uber engagement.