Estonian makes on-screen marriage proposal

An Estonian man surprised his girlfriend and an entire cinema audience at the weekend by proposing in a short film shown just before the screening of a Valentine's Day movie.

In the video shown in a Tallinn cinema on Sunday, Maido Ruutel holds a rose and speaks about his feelings for his sweetheart before asking her, "Will you marry me?"

At that moment, the same man stood up in the audience and then fell to one knee, holding out a ring and popping the question in person, he told reporters Monday.

The woman -- who said "yes" -- burst into tears as the audience reacted with a storm of applause.

The couple left the cinema without watching the romantic movie.

"We left because we wished to share the moment together," said the man in question, Maido Ruutel.

Ruutel said he came up with the idea from an Internet search that took him to a site called "50 Romantic Ways to Propose".