Some say red roses or hearts are the best way to show love.
But it was Huddersfield’s most-renowned red and cream bus that found itself at the centre of a marriage proposal.
Bus enthusiast and Golcar born Elliot Day travelled all the way Hastings, Sussex, and to the old, iconic 6299’s new home to pop the question to his unsuspecting girlfriend Vickie Hennigan, 37.
The bus, now a cafe called the Double Decker Cafe, became one of his favourite sights in Huddersfield during the years of its operation between 1981 and 2003 and was definitely an unforgettably quirky choice for a marriage proposal.
Elliot, 37, who used to attend Royds Hall School before moving to Hull, said: “We had planned to go to London for my birthday so I decided to pop the question to her that weekend.
“We visited the Shard and other usual places that people propose but I just wanted to do something different, so arranged for us to go to Hastings to see the bus.
“I asked my work colleagues because I wanted to get a second opinion and they were really behind the idea.
“I reserved the back seat on the top deck and a celebration breakfast and got down on one knee.
“Vickie was definitely not expecting that to be the moment when I asked her, I think she thought it was going to be the weekend after when we were going to stay at a posh hotel.
“The funny thing was that although there were other customers having their breakfast on there, none of them seemed to realise what was going on, even when she accepted and the Champagne was brought up to us.”
Now the besotted pair plan to involve red buses at their wedding, which they have planned for Easter next year.
Elliot, said: “We won’t be able to have the 6299 there as it’s on a permanent site and we want to get married nearer to York where we both now live but Vickie wants to have some there at the wedding, we just need to find out how to do it.”
The bus commemorated 100 years of transport in Huddersfield and stood out from usual cream and green painted fleets, when it was repainted in the old Huddersfield Corporation colours.
After it was decommissioned it was sold to a local preservationist and the current owner Darren Trevett, who paid £5,000 for 6299 on eBay and transformed it into a cafe that opened in 2012.
It has a kitchen down-stairs and seating for 28 diners inside and a further 30 outside.
