WSET.com - ABC13Local Couple’s Son Proposes on Good Morning America

Reporter: Lauren Compton l Videographer: Jemon Haskins

Franklin Co.,VA- Valentine's Day may be over, but one Smith Mountain Lake couple says it is one they will never forget. Their 31-year-old son got down on one knee and popped the question to his fiancée on national television. 

Good Morning America helped him coordinate his memorable proposal. His parents say they cannot get enough of watching the moment over and over. The Saleebas' son Nick lives in New Jersey, and he entered a contest on GMA to propose on air. He was selected and even put on a panda suit to carry out the surprise.

The big moment is saved on their DVR and now on heavy rotation in the Saleeba household.

"It just gets me emotionally. I watched it two more times on the Internet yesterday and cried. I'll probably watch it plenty more times and cry," said Kathy Saleeba, Nick's mother.

Good Morning America helped Kathy and Alan's Saleeba's son Nick pull off a surprise proposal on Valentine's Day. His bride-to-be Danae Riscoli thought she was doing a story about her students' reading program with the school panda ‘Tuxedo'. She didn't know the whole time her boyfriend Nick was inside the suit.

"I'm very proud of him. The way he orchestrated it and the way he worked on it," said Alan Saleeba, Nick's dad.

But it was not the easiest surprise to pull off. ABC 13 News talked to Nick by phone and he says his girlfriend knew a proposal was coming and was determined to figure out how.

"She just kept telling me, ‘You're not going to surprise me. I'm going to figure it out. Somebody is going to slip up. I'm going to know when it's happening.' One of my biggest goals was to really be able to surprise her," said Nick Saleeba.

His fiancée Riscoli cried during the proposal. The Saleebas are happy to have that moment preserved and more so that their son found love.

"They are a good match for each other, because they were friends for so many years they really know each other," said Kathy Saleeba.

The parents plan to celebrate with the engaged couple this weekend. The Saleebas have a busy year ahead of them. Their daughter got engaged in December, and both kids are planning to have their weddings this year.