LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Louisville man really raised the bar when it comes to wedding proposals by making his into a movie.
Sam Foree surprised his fiancé Katie Shircliffe at the Cinemark Theater in Springhurst with the story of their love and life playing out on the big screen.
"I knew I wanted to do something special," Foree said. "I knew I was going to end up making a movie."
Foree, a 35-year-old wedding videographer, knows a thing or two about capturing a couple's special moments. But Shircliffe had no idea what he was plotting and planning for the last six months.
"I noticed he was taping me and he was like 'I'm just practicing angles and footage,'" Shircliffe said. "I was like 'nope, he's using this for something, it's going to come back someday.'"
After more than a hundred hours of shooting and editing, that some day came on June 5.
Foree got Shircliffe's entire family in on the plan.
Sam Foree walks into movie theater.
Shircliffe had been told she was going to a movie theater birthday party for her 2-year-old nephew, and that Foree was not able to go because he had to work a wedding.
As she settled into a front row seat in the theater and the previews came to a close, a familiar graphic appeared on the screen, "CK Entertainment Services," the name of the company Foree works under.
"I've spent my whole life running and for many years I didn't even know what real love was," Foree's voiceover said as the video shows him running along the Ohio River. "Every once in a while what we are seeking is right in front of our face."
Music swells and images upon images of Shircliffe begin to gloss over the screen. In total, it's about a 15-minute narrative with both of their loved ones appearing as guest stars. Clips show fun times like sky diving, family moments, riding go-karts, along with other memories.
Sam Foree and Katie Shircliffe
Like the best tales, this story of love and life was filled with twists and turns. At first, Shircliffe was against dating Foree in 2019 when they met in recovery.
"I said, 'you're too fresh, you have to have more sobriety under your belt,'" Shircliffe said. "'You need to work the program and focus on you before you can date me.'"
Both battled alcohol addiction and lost loved ones, and as their hearts healed, they grew together.
"It meant a lot to be able to show her I was serious about this because I have not always been the best guy and the best person, the best dad or the best friend," Foree said. "But since sobriety, life has just given back so much."
One moment in the short film stole the show.
It was a surprise appearance from one of the loved ones lost. Foree went to Shircliffe's father's gravesite and asked for her hand in marriage.
Sam Foree visited Katie Shircliffe's father's gravesite.
Kneeling in front of the gravesite, Foree says, "Today is the day I ask your daughter to be my wife. Your essence is on Katie all the time, I know how much you mean to her. So I could not have asked for Katie's hand in marriage without including yourself."
"(It meant) more than I could say," Shircliffe said. "More than I could ever put into words."
The couple has not yet set a date for their nuptials. After an elaborate proposal, they said they're thinking about a small destination wedding.
To see the full proposal video, click here.
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