Man Recreates Iconic Scene From “10 Things I Hate About You” to Propose —Marching Band and All! (Exclusive)
Like Heath Ledger's character in the 1999 film, Will Johnson serenaded his girlfriend with the help of a marching band in the stadium where the movie was shot
A man popped the question to his girlfriend in a way that Kat Stratford wouldn't hate, not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all.
When Will Johnson, 25, was planning his proposal to Emily Larson, 26, he decided to recreate the iconic scene from her favorite movie, 10 Things I Hate About You.
"The first time we watched it together, during the scene where Heath Ledger sings to Julia Stiles she said, 'If you ever did that for me I think I'd melt,'" Johnson exclusively tells PEOPLE. "Emily and I are high school sweethearts, been together for over eight years and have known each other for about 12 years. We both were certain we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together for quite some time. So when I was to pop the question, I wanted to do it right. The way she has always wanted, but never knew."
A viral video on TikTok captures the Oct. 20 proposal in Tacoma, Washington, at Stadium High School, the original filming location of the iconic scene in which Patrick Verona (Ledger) sings Frankie Valli's "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" to Kat Stratford (Stiles).
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"I ended up writing a cover letter explaining the idea to the school district," Johnson says of trying to secure the castle-like Stadium High School as his proposal venue. "After the district granted approval, I had to get an insurance policy and a banquet license (for the champagne) for that night."
In the 1999 cult classic, Patrick serenades Kat with the accompaniment of the marching band. Like the movie sequence, Johnson's football field proposal also included a full marching band.
"For the marching band, I had the pleasure of having a local community marching band Tacomarama, lead by the wonderful and talented Irina Rasputnis!" Johnson says. "When I reached out to Irina, she was so kind and encouraging, I knew immediately I found the right person to help. Each and every band member was so delightful to work with and very supportive. Their sound was amazing!"
In the film, a security guard chases Patrick around as he sings, so, Johnson had his best friend and soon-to-be best man, Mark Anthony, act as a mock security guard to help accurately recreate the setup.
Johnson also enlisted cinematographer (Casey Catherwood), spot light operators (Copper Teed and Bjorn Sorenson), photographer (Cade Twilley), and a light, sound and graphics technician (Mark Cryo) to make sure the proposal went down perfectly.
As Johnson walked down the school's steps, he and 24 marching band members began their performance of "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" in front of about 25 close friends and family members. Once Johnson reached the field, which was covered in red rose petals, Larson quickly gave her bag to her friends as they laughed and shouted, "Go get him!"
Larson ran to her longtime love and jumped into his arms. After a sweet embrace, Johnson got down on one knee and proposed. A digital scoreboard soon switched from "I Love You Emmy!!" to "She Said Yes!!!!"
The newly engaged pair then shared celebratory champagne, just the two of them, on the field. The romantic table arrangement was done with the assistance of Daniel Blagovich, the owner of Howdy Bagel and the couple's boss. A violinist, Noatak Post, performed for the pair after the big moment.
"So many amazing, talented people came together that night to help pull this off and I could not feel more grateful," Johnson tells PEOPLE. "This night was filled with magic and wonder, making Emily feel like a princess, more so than I could have ever dreamed of. I could not have done this without all of the support I received."
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In total, it took Johnson about two months to set everything up, but he says it was all worth it.
"She melted," Johnson shares of Larson's reaction. "But for real, she was shocked! On the car ride over to the engagement celebration, she was telling me how precious that moment will always be for her. Don’t think she could have been more happy or excited within that moment."
Johnson's boldness and the lengths he went to win Larson's heart also won over the internet.
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"😭😭😭 I would pass away if someone recreated that scene woww," reads the TikTok video's top comment with more than 5,000 likes. "This may be the best proposal ever," another user wrote.
"Emily and I are so excited to spend the rest of our lives together and are looking forward to planning the wedding!" Johnson says before adding a personal message for his fiancée, "Emily, I will always love you here, I will always love you there, and I will always love you everywhere."
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