An offer you can't refuse? 在公共場合求婚

英語學習點: 答應和拒絕Vocabulary: acceptance/refusal

Recently a man proposed in front of 20,000 people at London's Olympic Stadium. Charity mascot Wendell Raphael, 40, was shown on the big screen at a test event saying: "Bindi Bhambra, will you marry me?"

She was shown in tears nodding her head to say yes.

The video website YouTube offers an array of elaborate and often very public proposals. Popping the question used to be a private occasion set in a restaurant or a peaceful garden. In 2011, a marriage proposal which featured a hired choir on a packed London train was viewed by millions online.

While that particular recipient of the proposal might be delighted, not everybody likes to be put on the spot. "You would either be thrilled or mortified by that," says celebrity wedding planner Siobhan Craven-Robins.

The increased level of expectation that surrounds weddings these days has led to people feeling that their proposal also has to be out of the ordinary, she says.

Glenn Wilson, a consultant psychologist, thinks public wedding proposals may sometimes be a ploy on the part of men. The woman may feel rather constrained in how she can respond.

"It's possible that some men think that this will pile pressure upon her and increase the likelihood of getting a positive response, that she must think that he really loves her if he goes to this extent of trouble and trickery."

"There is tremendous social and public pressure behind the woman to say 'yes'," says Wilson. "If she says 'no' so publicly it's difficult to revise that response later.

Jo Bryant, etiquette advisor, says: "A public proposal that could be particularly loud, intrusive or embarrassing for people to watch should be avoided."

One refusal cost a woman who said "no" dearly at a NBA basketball match in the US. She was booed by the crowd, while the distraught man was consoled by a giant cuddly mascot.