HOW far would you go for love?

Mr Rishi Firoz Vasanth, 24, a corporate trainer, went as far as kneeling on stage in front of hundreds of gawking spectators at VivoCity to propose to his fiancee, Miss Siti Hawa Fathi, 20, a nurse. His courage and sincerity won him the hand of his bride and the top prize in the Blossoming Love Challenge, a contest for couples planning to get married.

The contest was held over the last three days as part of The New Paper Wedding Planner event.

On bended knees and with a bouquet of flowers he lovingly created, he proposed with a touching speech. That gesture left Miss Siti in tears and warmed the hearts of hundreds in the audience.

Ms Sharon Ho, 32, a secretary, who was there with her husband to catch the action, was one of those visibly touched by Mr Rishi's proposal.

'He's really quite brave to do this,' she said. 'I don't think many guys these days would dare to be so public with their affection.'

Perhaps.

But on stage yesterday afternoon were seven other brave couples who went all out in a series of challenging tests that included a tango dance, which the contestants learnt in a crash course that morning.

No easy feat

There was also a tricky question-and-answer segment and a bouquet-making session for the guys, which showed that not all men are all thumbs when it comes to handling flowers.

First runner-up Mr Koh Teck Hong, 21, a national serviceman, found it particularly challenging creating the bouquet as his partner, Miss Lee Dai Ying, 21, 'doesn't like flowers,' he said.

Although the couple, the youngest among the finalists, did not ace the question-and-answer segment and was not the best dancers in the tango contest, it was Mr Koh's charm and wit that won over the judges.

In the last leg of the contest, when the men had to read out a love declaration that they had written, Mr Koh got on his knees and, to everyone's amusement, started to tie his shoelace instead of launching into his love speech.

Even Miss Lee was caught off-guard.

But Mr Koh's on-stage antics paid off handsomely - the young couple walked away with $3,000 worth of cash and prizes.

The winning couple, Mr Rishi and Miss Siti, won $5,000 in cash and prizes, which they plan to share with family members.

The rest will go to their wedding next year.

This article was first published in The New Paper.