Man Spends $1.6K to Rent Rockefeller Rink for 5-Minute Proposal

With elaborate storefront displays and numerous Christmas markets, New York City is one of the most magical places to celebrate the holidays. And, given that the holiday season is one of the most popular times of the year to pop the question, many couples—including Philip Cho and Heather Nguyen—choose Manhattan as the location of their festive proposal. After two months of planning, Cho got down on one knee at one of the most iconic Christmas landmarks in the city, The Rink at Rockefeller Center, which he spent $1,650 to rent for just five minutes.

To pull off the surprise, Cho texted his girlfriend of six years, a former flight attendant who was in Thailand for an airline crew reunion, to block off the weekend of December 6, 2024, under the guise of a “romantic date,” according to an interview with People. “I said, ‘Sure, love!’ and didn’t think anything of it until I got back to the states because at that point, that was all I thought it was: just a little loving date,” Nguyen said. 

Once the day rolled around, the only instructions Cho gave his girlfriend were to dress warmly for their 8 p.m. date. When they arrived to their destination, Nguyen couldn’t tell what the date-night activity was, given that there were “thousands of people” gathering around the space to catch a glimpse of the holiday attraction. After elbowing through the crowds, Nguyen realized they were going ice skating at The Rink at Rockefeller Center in Midtown Manhattan, framed by the 74-foot-tall Christmas tree that was decorated with 50,000 lights and a Swarovski crystal star.

They skated around the rink for 40 minutes until the staff made an announcement that everyone had to clear the ice for the ice resurfacer to smooth the surface. Even though everyone else was skating off, Cho asked one of the workers to snap a picture of the two of them. “[The worker is] so nice and says he’ll take a few,” Nguyen recalled. “A few become many and we’re the last ones on the rink. I turn to Phil nervously and say, ‘Babe, are you sure we shouldn’t get off? We’re last.’ The over-thinker in me is thinking we’re about to get in trouble or kicked off, but the worker keeps snapping away, so we keep laughing and posing.”

All of a sudden, a spotlight shines on the couple in the center of the rink, and “Enchanted” by Taylor Swift—Nguyen’s favorite song—starts playing on the loudspeaker. “Phil pulls me in, and I already see tears pouring down his face, body slightly shaking (from the cold? I’m not sure),” Nguyen recounts, before adding, “Phil points over, and the biggest signs appear, spelling, ‘WILL YOU MARRY ME?’ I’m so far in the middle [that] I don’t even realize until after, it’s my South Carolina family and friends and NYC loved ones holding each of the letters!” 

It turns out that Cho invited 27 of their friends and family to witness the proposal. Many of them traveled from South Carolina, where Nguyen was born and raised, for the monumental moment. “I lost it when I found out,” she exclaimed. “I just know they dropped everything to be here.”

After Cho got down on one knee, he took Nguyen’s hand and recited “the most thoughtful, heartbreaking, heart-healing speech,” according to Nguyen, who sobbed at hearing his thoughtful words—which included a line about his late grandmother’s love. Before Cho even asked, “Will you marry me,” Nguyen screamed, in her words, “YESSS!!” Everyone around them—both loved ones and strangers—cheered upon hearing her answer, exactly when the refrain of Swift’s love ballad hit. “I feel our lips crash into each other, and I flick my leg up like a Disney princess,” she recalled. “I was blown away. It still feels like something I dreamed because of how surprised I was.” The couple skated over to their friends and family, where they were greeted with congratulatory messages and high-fives.

Cho spent two months diligently planning every detail of the fairy-tale Christmas proposal. According to the publication, he declined many social outings with his friends, so he could save up for the $1,650 proposal package. He also spent hours behind the scenes, taking care of the logistics and taking trips to the airport—without Nguyen’s knowledge. The newly engaged couple said they hope to elope at New York City Hall before having “a huge, epic Vietnamese and Korean modern wedding ceremony and reception in South Carolina” within a year.