What was supposed to be a routine assignment for one Des Moines TV reporter turned out to be anything but.

KCCI reporter Pepper Purpura was assigned to cover an event at the Robert D. Ray Asian Garden in Des Moines on Monday, Dec. 8. However, when Purpura got to the destination, there was no event, only her partner Kai, who dropped down to one knee in the snow, and asked her to be his wife (she said yes).

Photojournalist Mike Simmons captured the heartfelt moment on camera, and the surprise segment aired on KCCI later Monday evening.

"Good on Kai for making it a proposal worthy of a girl like Pepper," KCCI anchor Ben Kaplan said on air. "Kai, welcome to the KCCI family."

Purpura joined KCCI as a reporter in June 2023 after graduating from the University of Oklahoma, according to L

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