Will Henderson’s labour of love to propose to his now fiancée, Steph Carter.
In a story that’s as romantic as it is rural.
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Blighty local Will Henderson has raised the bar for marriage proposals by spelling out ‘Will you marry me’ in a blooming canola crop.
The elaborate gesture was revealed to his now-fiancée, Steph Carter, when the couple boarded a small plane to view the message from above.
The bright yellow letters stretched across the paddock, each around 12m wide and carefully planted using an air seeder and GPS mapping.
One letter, the ‘e’, had to be hand-sown, a detail Will said was a challenge.
“It’s not quite in flower like the other letters.”
Will, 25, said the idea had been growing in his mind for years.
“I’ve been thinking about this for a while,” he said.
“It was probably in our first year dating, I watched a Modern Family episode where Cam talked about how his dad proposed by sowing it in a field, and that started the idea.”
The engaged couple Steph Carter and Will Henderson.
The proposal was the result of months of planning and secrecy, with Will tending the crop since April.
Steph Carter, a 24 year-old primary school teacher, was stunned by the effort and creativity.
“All year I had to reassure her that it would happen this year,” Will said.
“It was pretty stressful, making sure she didn’t see it and checking on the crop.”
Steph said Will’s efforts paid off.
“I feel I’ve waited a pretty long time, but I did not expect it at all,” she said.
“I didn’t think he was so romantic like that,” she laughed.
The surprise didn’t end in the sky, when the couple returned home, family and friends were waiting, adding another layer of joy to the day.
Will’s mother, Libby Henderson, summed up the sentiment shared by many.
“We’re very happy, very proud of his efforts.”
Will and Steph have been together for five years, and the pair are very excited for what their future holds.
The couple have already begun planning the wedding for 2027, at Will’s family farm, surrounded by the same landscape that helped bring their love story to life.
Steph Carter with the proposal field in the background.
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