In yesterday’s edition of The Border Mail, a colleague, Xavier Mardling, proposed to his long-time girlfriend, Janice Wolter, in the Today’s Voice column.

Click here to read the column

Ms Wolter said her fiance was usually an open book but he had caught her completely unawares on her 25th birthday when he insisted she read The Border Mail.

“I had absolutely no idea it was coming,” she said yesterday.

“I really thought that I would know when it was, as Xave says I know everything.

“I expected to be surprised on my birthday, but nothing like that. Today has been full-on with phone calls, texts, emails, but it’s all been worth it.”

Mardling, 24, said the plan was hatched after a chat with The Border Mail editor Heath Harrison.

“I wanted to do something different for her birthday and I think I managed to achieve that,” Mardling said.

“I’d been thinking about proposing in an article for a couple of months ... but it was only a couple of weeks ago that I finally built up the courage to ask Heath if I could use Today’s Voice.”

Did he get the reaction he was after?

“I think Janice was a bit shocked when she read it but thankfully she said yes,” Mardling said.

“I’d have looked pretty stupid if she didn’t wouldn’t I?”

The pair have not set a date for the wedding.