Man proposes at Minnesota’s North Shore. Then he leaves something behind that has people hoping she said no: ‘I spent 2 hours cleaning it up’

A proposal is supposed to leave behind a fiancé, a ring, and maybe a few happy tears. What it’s not supposed to leave behind is two hours’ worth of cleanup for a complete stranger.

That’s why one Minnesota photographer says she was stunned when she arrived at Black Beach for a sunrise shoot. Instead of a pristine view, she was greeted by the shoreline blanketed in what looked like rose petals from a recent proposal.

It sounds romantic, until she reveals that the petals were all plastic. So she started picking up the mess by hand, turning a scenic morning into an impromptu beach cleanup.

The internet, however, has become fixated on a different mystery entirely: the litterer’s identity and whether the whole story is even real.

What Happened With This Proposal At Black Beach, MN?

A whopping 19.6 million viewers have tuned in to the current drama sweeping everyone’s For You Pages. Did Faith (@ethereal_visuals) expect this? Probably not.

The photographer simply did what she could and posted it to TikTok, not imagining the swarm of comments she’d get as a result. The original clip has almost 14,500 comments. Many of them unkind. A jaw-dropping amount, considering the clip is only 10 seconds long. 

The text overlay simply reads: “To whoever got proposed to at Black Beach… I hope she said no.” The video itself shows proof of all the petals, Faith sweeping the camera over the entire shore.

As she follows the petal path, presumably her clients or colleagues are speaking in the background.

A woman starts a sentence, saying, “whoever it was…” and Faith finishes it for her: “was an a–hole.”

Her caption adds more to the drama. She says it “freaking sucked” seeing one of her favorite places “disrespected.” She then says she spent two hours cleaning it “because apparently it was too much work for whoever left them.”

At the end of her caption, Faith asks her viewers if they know who could have done it, saying, “I’d love to know who thought this was acceptable.”

The Hate Comments Roll In

In a follow-up video, Faith jokingly labels the entire commotion ‘PetalGate’ and thanks the viewers for their support. She then calls out the hate comments, giving a few examples and revealing that she woke at 1 a.m. to drive to Black Beach for the sunrise photoshoot.

It seems the anger comes from her verbal comment in the original video, where she calls the person who did it an “a–hole.” She laughs and says it’s equivalent to saying “I hope you step on Legos.”

Faith urges the angry viewers to do some ‘soul-searching’ because her original clip was “not that deep.”

She ends the clip saying she did it because, “raising awareness that that’s not cool to do ‘cause I love our public places and don’t wanna see them get taken away from us.” However, this clip doesn’t quell any enraged viewers.

Then Come the 1-Star Reviews

Faith posts a third video concerning ‘PetalGate.’ This time, to share how the hate comments have evolved to people leaving one-star reviews on her photography business’s Google page.

Not only that, but they also target her own marriage and husband. She mentions that some people are perceiving her as bitter over a marriage proposal.

“You guys are missing the plot,” she says. “I am mad that they thought they could just leave that [expletive] mess.”

Her irritation stemmed from the side of sustainability and littering. Faith specifically asks for “accountability” and “public shaming” to come back. 

To the viewers that keep claiming that the petals are real and Faith must be lying, she has a response for them. Apparently, she knows this exact type of plastic petals because she herself uses them in her photography studio.

Faith again denounces the negative reviews and says some viewers might just be deflecting and accusing her for no logical reason. She reaffirms that the entire thing is genuine, no fake story, and she even still has the bag of plastic petals she cleaned up at her house.

She ends the clip saying that it’s unfair that a clip she made about littering during a proposal is blowing out of proportion and says the review-bombing is unfair.

@ethereal_visuals Nothing says “forever” quite like covering a public beach in hundreds of plastic rose petals. Showing up for a sunrise session this morning and seeing one of my favorite spots completely disrespected like this freaking sucked ? then I spent 2 hours picking them all up because apparently it was too much work for whoever left them ? We gotta be better as humans. And if anyone recognizes a proposal or engagement with fake rose petals recently at Black Beach in MN, I’d love to know who thought this was acceptable ? #mn #lakesuperior #northshoremn #blackbeach #proposal ♬ original sound – Faith | Minnesota Photographer

What Do Viewers Think About The Proposal?

Aside from the hate comments, some viewers undergo a plethora of different reactions. One of the top comments with over 246,000 likes says, “Why didn’t they just use real petals?? ZERO sense was made this day.”

Another comment with 118,000 likes this time says sarcastically, “If only there were a more bio friendly type of rose petal.” 

A third viewer simply shares, “If my man can’t use real flowers than I’m saying no.”

Some viewers are not immediately on board with Faith’s reaction, saying, “Why cant yall be happy for them.”

Another viewer replies, “No body said they weren’t but those flowers petals are really bad for the environment. They could have at least picked them up after.”

Lastly, one viewer claims, “For those who weren’t taught ‘IF IT DOESNT GROW THERE, IT DOESNT GO THERE’ no matter if it’s biodegradable or not.”

The Mary Sue reached out to Faith via TikTok direct message.

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