Jacob Molloy/Woolton CinemaWhen Liverpool’s oldest surviving cinema reopened for Christmas, Jacob Molloy decided it was “a good little opportunity” to propose to his girlfriend of 10 years.
Jacob and Lucy Agate watched It’s a Wonderful Life at the sold-out Woolton Picture House on Christmas Eve before Jacob appeared on the big screen at the end of the film.
Drawing inspiration from a scene from Love Actually, he was holding a stack of handwritten cue cards, saying he had “a question”.
The 26-year-old then got down one one knee and asked an emotional Lucy to marry him – she said yes.
It was just as well as his last cue card said “She said yes”.
Jacob Molloy/Woolton CinemaThe moment was planned alongside the staff at the 100-year-old cinema, where the couple, who are both from Liverpool, had their first date.
Woolton Picture House, which first opened in 1927, closed in 2020 at the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Following a campaign to see it reopen, it hosted 12 days of Christmas films before closing once again to undergo a major refurbishment in the new year.
Jacob said the surprise proposal was three weeks in the planning, though he had started looking at engagement rings in late September.
“I kind of had an idea of what I was going to do,” he said, “and when Walton Cinema said they were reopening for the 12 Days of Christmas, it was just ideal.”
“The lovely staff at the Woolton Cinema were really helpful, and they came up with loads of great ideas.”
“They were already doing some filming for an appeal that would go before the film, so it worked out perfectly.
“My initial idea was to take Lucy to the projection room, because it’s very old school,” Jacob said.
“But the staff said while it is very sweet and old, it’s also very dusty and it would take a lot to make it look nice, but they said they’d be happy to insert a little video into the film.
“Then it dawned on me, the realisation of hearing my squeaky voice on the big screen. So I thought, ‘oh, maybe not. Could we just do text?’
“And then, again, the notion dawns on you, that if there’s another Lucy in the cinema, then that might cause an argument between them and their partner.
“And then I thought placards. Like in Love Actually.
“It just felt perfect and it was another Christmas film in keeping with the theme.”
Jacob Molloy/Woolton CinemaHe said even though he was “really nervous” he was pretty confident Lucy would say yes.
“She was over the moon,” he said.
The newly-engaged couple plan on travelling next year and are thinking of getting married at the end of 2026.