People Criticize Man's Marriage Proposal On Torn Paper For Being Simple Yet 'Terrible'

May 12, 2023 by apost team

Popping the question and proposing a marriage often involves a lot of creativity and planning because the person proposing intends to catch his partner by surprise. Inevitably, a well-planned proposal turns into an unforgettable moment that the couple can share as a story with their grandkids years later.

But the marriage proposal for Erica Murphy, a journalist working in Atlanta, by her fiancé, Monta Homes, might just be unforgettable for a different reason because the gesture divided people on social media. While Murphy was happy and excited to share with her followers that she said "yes" to her "amazing guy," the proposal turned into a hot debate on the internet.

Murphy showed off her beautiful engagement ring by posting a photo on Twitter on May 1, 2023. But instead of getting a lot of congratulatory messages, as one would expect, some social media users lambasted Homes for using a torn paper and pencil to write, "Will you marry me?" which he left on the bathroom counter.

Pop culture site The Shade Room uploaded Murphy's photo on Instagram and asked their followers if this proposal was acceptable. Some of the commenters said that Homes did not even make any effort to write legibly and described the torn paper as "terrible." One commenter said that Homes could have used a whole paper instead of tearing up a piece. 

However, others preferred Homes' simplicity over any grand gestures. The fact that he actually proposed was the bigger deal when most men wouldn't even put a ring on their partners. Others defended Homes by saying that he might have felt this was the right moment and just went on with it, which made his gesture sweet. 

As the photo turned viral, Murphy spoke with Today to defend her fiancé. The journalist said she was not expecting strong reactions from social media. Murphy also said that she was concerned that her photo post triggered negativity on social media. She also wanted to correct the impression that her fiancé did the proposal as an afterthought.  

Indeed, there was more to the story than just a torn piece of paper. Murphy went on to say that her fiancé flew in from Detroit, where he works as a commercial electrician, to spend their one-year anniversary as a couple. However, the night before his proposal, Murphy had a tough day at work. While they avoided a fight, they went to bed with some sore feelings.

On the day he proposed, Homes got up at 4:30 a.m., and Murphy could hear him ruffling some stuff in the bathroom. She was still irritated from the night before, but he wanted the ring to be ready when she got up at 5:00 a.m. to start her day. He wanted her to see the note and think it was just clutter before seeing the ring. That worked because it put a smile on her face.

"The proposal didn’t need to be grand or IG-worthy," Murphy told 11 Alive. "It was sweet and perfect for us." 

However, the proposal took a life of its own in the next few days when daytime show hosts debated about it on their shows as well, bringing up more discussions on proposals and note-writing. 

Murphy and Homes met in a Detroit ballroom dancing event in 2020 and then decided to date each other in 2022. She described her future husband as "kind, giving, funny, naughty" and totally down for her. 

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Was Monta Homes’ proposal terrible in your opinion? Or were others right to say that he felt this was the right thing to do? Know someone who would love to read this proposal story? Then pass this along to them!