A couple were flying high after they sealed their future by getting engaged in a hot air balloon.

Rupen Shah, 27, of Meads Lane, Seven Kings, popped the question to his girlfriend of 14 months Nilma of Kingston-upon-Thames.

The pair had met 20 months before and Rupen had originally intended to propose on Nilma’s 27th birthday on August 7, but due to adverse weather conditions the balloon ride and proposal had to be moved to a later date.

While the pair chose the ring together, Nilma had no idea when she would be proposed to.

The couple arrived in Chipping, Ongar, where they were booked to fly on a balloon with GO Ballooning.

“The flight was wonderful and the weather perfect”, said Rupen. “Once we were up in the air, I got down on one knee and asked Nilma to be my wife.”

Rupen and Nilma are Hindus and as is tradition, they will be having a formal ceremony in January, when they exchange rings in front of all of their family.

A date for the wedding has been set for November 2012 and once the couple are married they will be setting up home together in the Ilford area.