Marriage proposal under a rainbow: Mystery couple found

It was a marriage proposal with fairy tale elements: sandy beach, pink-hued sky and a full, arching rainbow overhead. But what was more amazing was that a San Diego photographer accidentally caught the moment on camera.

On Jan. 31, Dan McGeorge captured the photo of the Hotel del Coronado framed by the rainbow. Within the photo he noticed the couple clasping hands.

He then set up an online campaign to find the people in the picture. The photo was shared by thousands on social media and reported on news outlets around the country.

On Feb. 13, Robert Treml of Philadelphia received a phone call from his brother in St. Louis.

“He’s like, ‘I just saw a link online and there is a photographer in San Diego who actually captured your proposal at the exact moment and it’s under a rainbow, and he’s looking for you,” Treml said.

Treml said he and his now soon-to-be-wife, Meghan Peart, were the couple featured in McGeorge’s picture. He recalled the evening clearly, knowing he wanted to propose to her at the beach just outside the historic hotel.

“I grabbed her hands and we did the proposal right there. And as we were in that very special moment together, the rainbow formed above us,” Treml said. “It was such a magical moment for us.”

Treml contacted his area news stations, who then contacted McGeorge. After McGeorge and the couple spoke over the phone, photographs were exchanged, and both parties were ecstatic.

All three of them also realized they had actually met that evening. Shortly after Treml asked Peart to marry him, the couple looked for someone to take their photos as a newly engaged couple.

“We went up to [McGeorge] and we asked him if he wouldn’t mind taking a few pictures and he was very nice and very helpful,” Peart said.

Meantime, McGeorge has created a memento for the couple. He printed the photo on canvas and framed it himself. He plans to send it to them soon.

Audencial is a staff member with Fox5, a Tribune Broadcast property.