A British woman has finally married the man who proposed to her 43 times over seven years, after turning him down repeatedly because she “wasn’t ready.”
Luke Wintrip, who first asked Sarah Wintrip to marry him just six months into their relationship in 2018, was initially met with a swift “no.”
“I just said, ‘No, we’ve only been together for six months!’” Sarah recalled. “I loved him, but I didn’t want to say yes to something I might later regret.”
But Luke, 34, refused to give up on the woman he called the love of his life. Over the years, he orchestrated a series of increasingly elaborate proposals – from renting a castle in Prague to candlelit dinners and even a horseback ride along a Jamaican beach – only to be turned down again and again.
“Each time, I thought maybe this would be the moment,” Luke said. “But she wasn’t ready, and I had to respect that.”
By the time Luke made his 42nd attempt, Sarah, 32, had a change of heart. “I told him, ‘Next time you ask, I’m going to say yes,’” she revealed.
The following year, Luke proposed for the 43rd time – and finally got the answer he had been hoping for.
Choosing a location symbolic of a new beginning, he took Sarah to Greenwich in South East London, home of the Prime Meridian.
“This is the centre of the world,” Luke told her, “and you are the centre of my world. I want you to marry me.”
This time, Sarah said yes.
The couple tied the knot in a romantic destination wedding in Jamaica in May, surrounded by family and friends.
“Mr. and Mrs. Wintrip. Finally,” Sarah wrote in an Instagram post sharing their wedding photos. “Let’s hope we can commit to those ‘better and worse’ vows after the rocky start we have had. I love you, babe.”
The bride even joked that her husband should apply for a Guinness World Record for the most marriage proposals.
“I am grateful he persisted for so long,” Sarah said. “He finally won my heart.”
Luke, meanwhile, said his persistence was worth it. “I knew she was the one from the start. Now I get to call her my wife – and that’s all I ever wanted.”
