“People were literally falling out of their chairs, crying with laughter—one person even peed themselves a little!” Hope Carew tells PEOPLE, recalling the hilarious moment. 😂🤣
Hope Carew reads aloud her brother’s proposal plans he wrote when he was 9 years old. Photo: Courtesy of Hope Carew
Woman Reads Brother’s Hilarious Childhood Proposal Plans at His Wedding—Leaves Guests in Tears (and Pee!)
When Hope Carew stumbled upon her brother’s childhood proposal plans, she knew she had to save them for the perfect moment—his future wedding day.
On October 11, in front of 150 guests at her brother Griffin Carew’s wedding to Alyssa Kantor Carew in Monroe, New York, she did just that—reading aloud a hilariously detailed proposal itinerary that Griffin had written when he was just 9 years old.
“In 2014, I was going through a box of childhood things my dad had saved,” Hope told PEOPLE. “Inside, I found my brother’s 2002-2003 yearbook. It was a huge deal because my mom’s house had burned down two years prior, and we had lost so many childhood memories. I was thrilled my dad still had this.”
Little did she know, Griffin’s childhood imagination would become the highlight of his big day—leaving guests falling out of their chairs, crying with laughter… and even causing one guest to pee a little! 🤣
L: Griffin Carew’s proposal plans he wrote when he was 9 years old (front). PHOTO:
R: Courtesy of Hope Carew Griffin Carew’s proposal plans he wrote when he was 9 years old (back). PHOTO: Courtesy of Hope Carew
“As I was flipping through the yearbook,” she began, “a crumpled piece of loose-leaf paper suddenly tumbled out. Curious, I unfolded it—and I couldn’t believe my eyes! My brother’s handwriting is unmistakable—he’s a lefty, and his scrawl is one-of-a-kind. I knew instantly that he had written it.”
She laughed, “It was so hilarious that I decided right then and there to save it for his wedding. I took it back with me to college, keeping it tucked away for years, waiting for the perfect moment. But after he got engaged, I went to retrieve it from where I had hidden it at my mom’s house—only to find it had vanished! She had just moved, and somewhere in the shuffle, my secret stash had disappeared.”
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“My mom and I spent the next eight months searching through every stack of paperwork we could find. Just when I had finally given up hope, I decided to check the yearbook one last time—and there it was,” she recalled with a grin.
At the wedding, Hope took the microphone and playfully warned, “Don’t kill me,” before diving into the scribbled, over-the-top plans. The moment, captured on video, quickly went viral—racking up more than 8.7 million views and 1.6 million likes on TikTok.
“We are 25, and I’m a multi-billionaire who is madly in love with you. Number one: Cincinnati to Cabo San Lucas,” Hope began, reading aloud from her brother’s elaborate, three-part plan. “It’s midnight. I sneak you onto our private jet. You wake up mid-flight, clueless about our destination. I don’t tell you where we’re headed, but I kiss you and assure you I have everything taken care of.”
She continued, barely holding back laughter. “We arrive, and I hand you my credit card, telling you to buy whatever you want—but to make sure you’re back at our hotel by 1 o’clock. When you return, I’m nowhere to be found. Instead, the butlers escort you down to the beach, where I’m waiting with a candlelit blanket, a bottle of wine, and the ultimate romantic setup. We drink a few glasses… then start making out. The next day? We leave for another destination—on my yacht.”
By this point, the wedding guests were in absolute hysterics, laughing uncontrollably at the absurdly detailed fantasy.
“Lots of laughing, cheering, and clapping,” Hope told PEOPLE. “People were literally falling out of their chairs, dying laughing—one person even peed themselves a little. At one point, my brother pretended to run away, which only made the crowd go even crazier.”
But Hope wasn’t done yet.
“Number two: Cabo San Lucas to French Polynesia,” she announced dramatically. “On the yacht, we have a very romantic time. Then, once we arrive, I buy you a ton of pearls. I buy you whatever you want. I obey your every command.”
At this point, the groom could no longer hide his embarrassment, burying his face in his hands as the crowd erupted once again.
“My brother was cracking up the whole time and hugged me afterward—which was a huge relief because, let’s be real, this was next-level embarrassing,” Hope admitted. “If he didn’t have such a great sense of humor, I never would’ve done it. But he’s a Leo—he can handle the heat.”
Luckily, her brother wasn’t just a good sport—he was also used to Hope’s antics.
“I’m a stand-up comedian, and my family is super supportive,” she added. “They’re used to me embarrassing them on stage. Honestly, my brother was probably just relieved I wasn’t telling more recent embarrassing stories about him!”
Alyssa Kantor Carew and Griffin Carew. PHOTO: Courtesy of Hope Carew
“My sister-in-law was in absolute stitches,” Hope added. “I had asked for her permission to give a ‘secret’ speech at the wedding, but I refused to spill any details. So, she was mostly just stunned that I had managed to keep a secret this good for so long.”
Then came the grand finale.
“Number three: French Polynesia to Paris,” Hope read, building up the anticipation. “Today, we leave on the yacht and do romantic stuff. Then, we land in Paris. I take you all around the city in a Rolls-Royce, buying you everything your heart desires. And then, at the very top of the Eiffel Tower, I pull out a $130 million ring and ask, ‘Will you marry me?’ You say yes. Then, we go back to our hotel… and have lots of romance.”
By this point, the wedding guests could hardly contain themselves, roaring with laughter at young Griffin’s over-the-top vision of love and luxury.
On TikTok, the internet fell just as hard for Griffin’s childhood romantic side.
“This is actually very sweet—normalize boys being in love with love,” read the top comment, racking up nearly 220,000 likes. Meanwhile, another user summed it up perfectly:
“My boy was a Wattpad LEGEND.”
