"Love Island"'s Gemma Owen and Luca Bish Make It Official With Lavish Proposal, but Fans Are Divided

"Love Island" 2022 runners-up Gemma Owen and Luca Bish have finally made their relationship official — and they shared a video of their extravagant romantic evening on Instagram. The 23-year-old fishmonger led his 19-year-old partner into an outdoor area complete with roses, candles, a fireplace, a classical musician, and pool floats that spelt out "be my girlfriend" to pop the question. And the occasion was filmed for the benefit of their loyal fans on social media.

Despite them coupling up during the whole eight-week series, Owen was reluctant to take their relationship to the next level until Bish had properly met her dad, football legend Michael Owen. The family introductions took place in the middle of August as Bish flew to Portugal to get the Owen approval, and fans were eager to see how the pair would cement their status, growing impatient as the weeks rolled by.

Now, the happy couple have made it Instagram official with the rose-adorned evening. Bish even gifted Owen a costly £6,500 Cartier bracelet to seal the deal. And the comments on social media were filled with excitement. Fellow islander Ikenna Ekwonna joked, "FINALLY guys!" while Andrew Le Page wrote, "About time." The majority of fans were over the moon to see their favourite "Love Island" couple reach this milestone. "Luca's attention to detail is impressive. He recreated the LI flowery corridor and the pool in his proposal, and the fact that he gave Gemma a GOLD bracelet," one fan wrote on Twitter. Another tweeted: "Luca spent BANK on this gf proposal, the Cartier bracelet, the set up and then the fancy dinner after😩 GEMMA IS WINNINGGGG!!!!" Another added, "Luca asking Gemma to be his gf the way that he did is so f*cking cute."

However, the grand proposal left some fans with a bad taste in their mouth. While Owen, who just signed a deal with PrettyLittleThing for a rumoured six-figure sum, and Bish are of course entitled to showcase their love however they please, the country is in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis. With the majority of the UK concerned and anxious about rising energy costs, some followers took issue with the couple's extravagant out-of-touch display. Some social media users likened the proposal to the sort of over-the-top events we've come to expect of the Kardashian family. One person speculated that Bish's romantic exhibit was "hypocritical" and merely "proof of funds", especially since the duo had said that they wanted to define their relationship in private while they were appearing on the show.

A Twitter user said: "not Luca and Gemma sh*tting on everyone's parade on 'love island' about they don't need big gestures to show their love. 6.4k Cartier bracelet and a whole camera crew is sooooo subtle. just sets such an unrealistic expectation. Money money money." Another wrote: "Just seen Gemma and Luca's pictures of becoming 'official' how friggin' ridiculous. Why is that a thing? It's like consumerism and money gone mad. Why do people need to make such a big thing about becoming an item. What the hell is he going to do when he wants to propose?"

It's easy to see why the video doesn't sit well with some social media users, considering that almost a quarter of Brits are currently using their savings to cover skyrocketing living costs and 13 percent are using more credit than usual to cover rising costs. Their Instagram reveal came just hours after Tasha Ghouri and Andrew Le Page unveiled matching rose tattoos, proving this class of islanders are serious about their relationships.

Criticism aside, we wish Owen and Bish the best and love seeing their relationship grow. How will they ever top this proposal if their relationship progresses and Bish decides to get down on one knee? We'll have to wait and see.