Watch paraplegic man go above and beyond to propose

When Michael Maze asked his girlfriend Trinity Brooks to dinner to celebrate their third anniversary, she had no idea he had a life-changing surprise planned.

Nine years to the day, Michael had been involved in a motocross accident that left him a paraplegic and in a wheelchair. To turn that painful anniversary into a joyful one, he decided to surprise his girlfriend with an invitation to a romantic dinner at their favorite restaurant in Tulare, California. But Trinity could not have imagined how romantic the date would become. And it was all caught on camera by a fellow customer.

In Michael's words, he could no longer "climb to the top of a mountain" to demonstrate his love for Trinity, but he wanted to show his feelings with an even grander gesture. So, as Trinity looked on puzzled, he interrupted their conversation to maneuver his wheelchair to the side of the table, and in a moment reminiscent of a Hallmark movie, he painstakingly slid himself out of the wheelchair to propose!

Click on the video below to see the romantic moment Michael rose from his wheelchair to propose

Trinity said yes, and the restaurant owner joined in the celebration, bringing champagne and giving the happy couple their meal on the house.

“It was truly like a scene out of a movie,” said Maze. “The best night of our lives!

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Paraplegic man ditches wheelchair to pop the question