Summary:
A couple got engaged on stage with a naked proposal in front of 400 strangers who were also in the buff.
A couple got engaged on stage with a naked proposal in front of 400 strangers who were also in the buff.
Nigel Seymour, 57, of Fordingbridge, Hampshire, gave the ring to his now-fiancée, care assistant Rachel Allen, 28, with neither of them wearing any clothes.
Recalling the proposal on his birthday during a British Naturism weekend in Staffordshire in November 2017, Nigel said: 'It was an amazing moment.'
This bold step came after six months the couple first met, going on to enjoy a whirlwind romance.
But they saw much more of each other at first sight in June 2017 than most couples do in the bedroom - as they were on a naturist holiday on the Greek island of Rhodes and bonded playing table tennis starkers.
Nigel said- 'Proposing naked was just continuing the theme.
'I hadn't told a soul I was going to do it until the day itself. Then I asked the organizer if I could jump up on stage and take the microphone. I got Rachel up to join me and, because she nodded instead of saying yes out loud, people didn't realize she'd agreed at first. When they did, though, a huge cheer went up.
It all happened in a room full of about 400 totally naked people. It was incredible.'
While Rachel grew up around naturism - the practice of social nudity – making it second nature to her, Nigel was 40 when he started shedding his clothes, in a radical move to combat his body image issues.
He explained that 'I'd been bullied throughout school, because of my weight, and eventually got to the point where I thought, 'If I don't do something now, I never will.'
'So, I took myself to Silverleigh, a naturist spa. Walking in, I was nervous as hell. I'd never been in that environment and had no idea what to expect.
'But everyone put me at ease. What I liked was that you had no idea what people did in their day-to-day lives – whether they were a judge, a doctor, a police officer. Being naked just levels everyone out.'
In the meantime, stripping off has helped Nigel to overcome his insecurities. He added 'It's done wonders for my confidence.
‘Now, being naked just feels normal. Whenever we go to nudist resorts, we'll chat, make friends, sit and have a drink or a go in the jacuzzi. It's just like any other trip away, except we just happen to not be wearing clothes. Plus, there's no chance of getting pick-pocketed!'