Santa Rosa man pops the question inside Rohnert Park haunted house

Picture a stereotypical wedding proposal: Maybe you see a beach, or a sunset? Perhaps a ring in a glass of champagne?

What about surrounded by ghouls and ghosts in a haunted house?

The sights and sounds of Doc's Horrortorium, a haunted house in Rohnert Park, might not seem like the most ideal setting. But for one Santa Rosa couple, it was perfect.

Kevin Fisher, 28, popped the question to his girlfriend Catherine Mote, 25, on Saturday at the attraction, about six years after they had one of their first dates there.

"We hadn't been back to Blind Scream since that date, which makes it really special that he thought about what we were doing the first year we were dating," Mote said.

As the couple and their group reached the end of the haunted house, Mote said Fisher tried to tell her of a secret hidden room that they had missed. Mote said she was hesitant to go back into the house to check it out, because they had already exited, but Fisher and their friends convinced her.

"So I was like OK, I guess we can try and see if we missed something," Mote said. "Then we went back in, and Kevin started talking to the monster creature in the first room. The actor said he had a 'precious oddity' in the cabinet."

That oddity? A beautiful engagement ring.

Both are avid Halloween fans, especially Fisher.

"Catherine had never been to a haunted house before, and Halloween has always been my favorite holiday," Fisher said. "I felt I had to show her an exciting part of life she had been missing out on all those years."

Fisher said he was relieved when the Blind Scream team was able to help him make the perfect proposal happen.

"We often have people that come by on their birthday, and if we know, we go through to the dining room scene and let the actors know what the person looks like and their name – when they get to the dining room the actors call the person by name and sing them happy birthday," said Judy Walker, who co-runs Blind Scream.

"The dead person in the table holds out a fake birthday cake that we have. It is fun to be able to engage the community in this way and give back to those coming through for their special occasion," Walker said.

And for Fisher, it was the perfect spot.

"I felt, if this is a place that had our first scary experience for her, it should be scary for me too," Fisher said. "And what better way to be scared than asking the most important question of my life in what scares thousands of people every year? It made leading the pack through the haunted house a breeze."

Mote said she has grown to love the holiday even more because of Fisher.

"Every year we try to make Halloween special," Mote said.

Now, it will be even more special every year. But will the horror theme make it into the wedding?

"We are planning on getting married at the courthouse, but who knows how the reception will be at this point," Mote said.

They will, however, definitely be getting married in their favorite month: October.