--- description: Tom Hanks was in Texas to promote his new book "Uncommon Type: Some Stories" and couldn't help but give a fan a hand—in marriage title: Tom Hanks Just Helped Pull Off A Surprise Proposal image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt56d302fca71f4dc7/6988e482bc6cfc99d93e3cc9/tom-hanks-southbank-centre-alice-boagey-4.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Tom Hanks Helped Pull Off the Ultimate Surprise Marriage Proposal by [Melissa Locker](/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 6, 2017 4:23 PM CUT  Alice Boagey by [Melissa Locker](/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 6, 2017 4:23 PM CUT Tom Hanks is guest starring in real love stories again. [Tom Hanks made](http://time.com/4961915/tom-hanks-david-s-pumpkins-animated-special-saturday-night-live/?iid=sr-link4 "undefined") a surprise appearance at the Texas Book Festival over the weekend. While Hanks was scheduled to appear at the Austin literary festival to promote his book, [_Uncommon Type: Some Stories_](http://time.com/5009167/tom-hanks-book-uncommon-type/?iid=sr-link1 "undefined"), the surprise part came about when he helped a man propose to his girlfriend. As the [Associated Press](http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/tom-hanks-helps-marriage-proposal-at-book-festival-1055058?utm%5Fsource=twitter&utm%5Fsource=t.co&utm%5Fmedium=referral "undefined") reported, [Hanks](http://time.com/4937176/carpool-karaoke-tom-hanks/?iid=sr-link6 "undefined") was on stage answering questions from the crowd, when he announced that he was bored. He didn’t want to answer their questions anymore, but instead wanted to ask one of his own. Hanks then took out a piece of paper as if to read a question, before saying that there was a man in the crowd, Ryan McFarling, who had a question for a woman in the crowd, Nikki Young. [Hanks](http://time.com/5004029/forrest-gump-costume-riverside-california/?iid=sr-link2 "undefined") then read the question: “Nikki, will you marry me?” The Texas Book Festival [captured the moment](https://twitter.com/texasbookfest/status/926948935113027586 "undefined") on camera, and the Young looks truly shocked to have Tom Hanks propose to her. > [](https://twitter.com/texasbookfest/status/926948935113027586) After the initial surprise wore off, the couple headed to the stage where McFarling got on one knee, presented a ring to Young, and asked the question himself, according to the AP. Luckily for Hanks (and McFarling) Young said yes. Now they just need to get Bill Murray to officiate the ceremony. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5011472/tom-hanks-helped-pull-off-the-ultimate-surprise-marriage-proposal/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5011472/tom-hanks-helped-pull-off-the-ultimate-surprise-marriage-proposal/"},"headline":"Tom Hanks Helped Pull Off the Ultimate Surprise Marriage Proposal","datePublished":"2017-11-06T16:23:19.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:48:29.674Z","description":"Hanks was in Texas to promote his new book \"Uncommon Type: Some Stories\" and couldn't help but give a fan a hand—in marriage","url":"https://time.com/5011472/tom-hanks-helped-pull-off-the-ultimate-surprise-marriage-proposal/","keywords":["Newsfeed","celebrities","Tom Hanks"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt56d302fca71f4dc7/6988e482bc6cfc99d93e3cc9/tom-hanks-southbank-centre-alice-boagey-4.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Locker","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt56d302fca71f4dc7/6988e482bc6cfc99d93e3cc9/tom-hanks-southbank-centre-alice-boagey-4.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Tom-Hanks-Southbank-Centre-Alice-Boagey-4","caption":"","creditText":"Alice Boagey","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5011472/tom-hanks-helped-pull-off-the-ultimate-surprise-marriage-proposal/","name":"Tom Hanks Helped Pull Off the Ultimate Surprise Marriage Proposal"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Watch Tom Hanks Crash A Wedding Photo Shoot In Central Park","description":"The Sully star crashed a wedding photo shoot in Central Park Sunday, pausing mid-jog to congratulate the couple.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/GRVSovAx/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2016-09-27T19:00:20.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/GRVSovAx.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5011472/tom-hanks-helped-pull-off-the-ultimate-surprise-marriage-proposal/","duration":"PT1M18S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5011472/tom-hanks-helped-pull-off-the-ultimate-surprise-marriage-proposal/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```