Single Dad Proposes To A Widowed Mom In Tear-Jerking Gum Ad

A new Extra ad features a moving real-life proposal between a single dad and a widowed mom.

If you thought a gum commercial was the last thing in the world that would ever make you cry, think again. A new ad for Extra features a moving proposal between a single dad and a widowed mom, and the story behind the commercial will make you wish you had some gum wrappers around so you could use them to dry your tears.

Marcus Decredico and Jessica Langevin are a real couple from Concord, California, who’ve known each other since kindergarten. They dated briefly in high school, but then went their separate ways and lost touch. Both ended up married to other people and had kids, but at 25, when she was eight months pregnant with her daughter, Jessica’s husband was killed while fighting in Afghanistan, and she was left a widow.

Jessica eventually opened an in-home daycare to get back on her feet, and got a call from a recently-divorced Marcus, who was seeking childcare for his two young daughters. The pair reconnected and fell in love, and they’ve now been together for five years and are expecting their first child.

According to the Huffington Post, Marcus knew he wanted to propose and a friend heard Extra was looking for “real life love stories” for their next commercial. Together, Marcus and representatives from Extra constructed the perfect surprise proposal for Jessica, which included a scavenger hunt on the beach with dozens of pictures drawn on gum wrappers by both Marcus and the couple’s daughters. The pictures led Jessica to the waterfront, where Marcus was waiting with a ring.

The commercial was inspired by a fictional love story Extra used in a previous ad that went massively viral. In 2013, they created an ad called “Origami” that followed characters Sarah and Juan through a fictional romance from high school to adulthood. The commercial got more than 18 million views on YouTube, and the brand’s ad company decided to create an even better version using a real love story.

Jessica tells the Huffington Post she was completely surprised by the proposal and had no idea it was going to happen. “I honestly thought we were doing a travel documentary and that the scavenger hunt was for the kids,” she said. “It felt like a fairy tale. For me, it’s all about the small moments in our daily lives, like the little love notes he leaves me around the house. It was amazing to see all of these moments together!”

So far, Marcus and Jessica’s love story has been viewed more than 100,000 times, and dozens of people have left comments about how much the proposal made them cry. It just goes to show that even ordinary people like you and me can have the most moving and extraordinary stories.