Teenager’s ‘Cheesy’ Promposal Will Definitely Melt Your Heart
Shaedon Wedel and his supersweet “promposal” to his best friend’s sister has become a viral sensation on social media, thanks to his inventive use of her favorite snack.
Shaedon Wedel of Newton, Kan., found the perfect promposal for his friend Carlie, who has Down syndrome and happens to love Doritos.
The high school senior’s invitation to his prom date, Carlie, has been all the rage, and it’s not as cheesy as you might immediately think.
Can’t wait for prom with this sweet gal ????????
— Shaedon Wedel (@shardonwedel) March 17, 2017
Wedel, a senior at Newton High School in Newtown, Kan., hatched the plan so that he and his best buddy, Carson, could take Carlie, a freshman at the school, to the prom at the start of the school year. After Carson started a relationship, Wedel said plans changed, and instead, he made himself available as Carlie’s date.
“My best friend Carson and I were planning to take Carlie (seen in the photo) to prom together at the beginning of this school year,” said Wedel in an email to Yahoo Style. “As [Carson] met his girlfriend throughout the year, we decided that I would just be the one to take Carlie.”
As for the Doritos angle, Wedel explained that Carlie “loves them with all her heart,” and that he decided to use that as inspiration for the T-shirt.
“At this point, I sat down and looked at a few T-shirt-making websites and I designed the T-shirt myself, I put the pictures, chose the color and wrote the saying as well,” wrote Wedel.
“I know I’m NACHO your typical Doritos but…” said the front of the shirt adorned with the snack’s logo. On the back, it read, “I’m going to be CHEESY and ask: WILL YOU GO TO PROM WITH ME?”
Carlie, who has Down syndrome, had her dad, Rex, help with reading the message. Wedel said that she happily accepted the promposal and replied (as she put it), “I want a pink dress [and] look like Cinderella!”
Wedel said that Carlie’s mom, Angie, is going to find the perfect pink dress for her, and Wedel said he’ll shop for his accompanying tuxedo suit. His maturity and humility in light of the response to the photo is particularly striking.
“It did not even cross my mind to think that the whole world would see this tweet and the video on Facebook,” Wedel said. “I have been receiving direct messages on Twitter for the past couple of days, receiving almost nothing but positive comments.”
Since it’s the Internet, there will always be naysayers. “Of course, there are the remarks saying I did this for the attention,” says Wedel. “That did not cross my mind previous to posting or even asking her to prom. I believe the attention will spread the awareness that people with disabilities deserve and need that same attention that others get. I am thankful for all the positivity that has come out of this.”
And we’re thankful that kids out there with big hearts, like Shaedon, exist.