Man proposes after four minutes

Carl Dockings, 36, from Newport, south Wales, popped the question to Danielle at Chicago's O'Hare Airport after the pair met playing cards on the internet.

The 26-year-old said "yes" and the couple were married four months later.

The pair are now settled in his home city with their daughter Isabel, who was born on New Year's Day.

Council worker Mr Dockings explained how the couple met while playing the card game gin online.

"He was really funny and we seemed to click right away"
Danielle Dockings

He said: "I'd always liked cards and was filling in the evening. I went on there and bumped into Danielle playing in a card game and we hit it off straight away.

"I was inundated with work and the computer was where I went to relax and wind down and that's where I found Danielle.

"We got on so well. We just seemed to know what the other was thinking.

"Danielle's the most loving, caring person I've ever met and that came through straight away."

'Terrified'

Mr Dockings said the pair had fallen in love before even exchanging pictures, but that sending a photograph was still a "nerve-wracking" experience.

He said: "We finally agreed to swap photos and Danielle sent one over first - after seeing the photo of her I was terrified of sending the photo of myself."

When Mr Docking flew to Chicago to meet his bride-to-be, who is from nearby Wisconsin, he did not waste time before popping the question.

Mr Docking, who also has children aged six and nine, said: "I gave her a cuddle and a kiss and told her how happy I was being there.

"We walked for a couple of minutes to the train station at Chicago airport and I thought 'I've got to have this woman for life' and that's when I popped the question and I went down and proposed to her."

'Good conversation'

Mrs Docking said the proposal was not a complete surprise after the pair had got to know each other through months of online messaging.

She said: "I had a feeling he would [propose] - we'd talked about it.

"We were chatting and emailing and playing cards for about 10 months.

"It was good conversation - there was never any awkward silence. He was really funny and we seemed to click right away.

"I was able to pick up on how loving and caring he was because we would talk about our day to day lives and he would talk about how he was with his kids.

"I fell in love with his personality and the kind of person he was."