Surprise proposal on international television makes unsuspecting girlfriend burst into tears

Glenn Weiss was at the Emmy Awards when he asked an astonishing question.

Director Glenn Weiss stepped onto the stage at the Emmy's to receive an award for outstanding directing for his work on the 2018 Oscars, but his acceptance speech turned out to be the most unusual one in the gala's history.

Weiss' speech started out in a traditional tone, with him thanking his daughters and friends at ABC. He continued with a homage to his mother who had died two weeks before, and he declared his heart broken.

His speech then took an unexpected turn when he proposed marriage to his girlfriend, Jan Svendsen, and the moment was captured on film and posted on Youtube by JoyFull.

"The reason I don't like calling you my girlfriend is because I want to call you my wife."

Glenn Weiss, Youtube, September 17, 2018.

WEISS SHARED HIS MOTHER BELIEF IN "SUNSHINE"

Visibly moved, Weiss spoke about his mother's belief in "finding sunshine" and then spoke about Svendsen as "the sunshine of my life."

When he said that he wanted to call her "wife" and not a girlfriend, the audience realized they were witnessing something extraordinary.

THE SPEECH BECAME A PROPOSAL

The crowd started to cheer, and Svendsen called out a joyous "yes" from her seat. Immediately the audience started urging her to join Weiss onstage.

"I DIDN'T ASK YET.”

"Gilmore Girls" actor Milo Ventimiglia gallantly escorted Svendsen onto the stage and into Weiss' eager arms who jokingly teased: "I didn't ask yet!"

THE RING WAS HIS MOTHER'S

Weiss then dropped to his knee and presented Svendsen with a ring which, he explained, was the one “that my dad put on my mom’s finger 67 years ago.” Svendsen once again said “yes,” and the audience erupted in approval.

Weiss said no that no-one had known about the proposal but his own father and Svendsen was caught completely by surprise.

Svendsen and Weiss met in 2001 and worked together for the next 10 years. Svendsen worked on the Broadway League and was CMO for the Tony Awards, while Weiss directed shows like the Oscars and the Tony Awards.

Weiss' Emmy was awarded for his work on the 2018 Academy awards, which he directed for 2 years in a row.

In a related story, a basketball coach plotted a special surprise proposal with the connivance of his players and the cheer-team.