you mean he should not have proposed her?
I think he did the right thing, sending the ball in her court. now its her right to decide. about a couple of years ago i had proposed a good friend of mine, she refused. but we have been good friends after that. sometimes we laugh about the whole episode.
a good friend is one that you can share anything with. and same qualities should be in a spouse too.
the maturity level of the guy should be kept in mind though. what kind of reaction will he produce is a big factor.