If you’ve found that perfect someone that makes your palms sweat and your heart go pitter-patter, then maybe (just maybe) you’re in LOVE!
Falling in love is a beautiful thing. And, proposing can be even more beautiful. But, for some, coming up with the creative idea and way to propose has you stuck – emotionally and physically!
Take heart…I’ve compiled (40) beautiful ways & locations to POP the question!
CARMEN SALAZAR PHOTOGRAPHY
But, first things first.
1) Buy the ring. *any jewelry store can give you guidance
2) Ask her parents (or any legal guardian or family member that has essentially raised her) for permission to marry their baby girl!! I know it might sound old-fashioned, but that’s ok. It’s a beautiful and respectful tradition that every young man should follow through with! She’s gonna love you even more for this.
3) Pick a date / time / location for your proposal. (See Below)
4) Get your speech ready. Take your time on this one…think through all the words you want to be sure to say. And practice. In the moment, your nerves might get the best of you, but if you’ve practiced (just a little) the words of love will flow from your heart.
So, let’s take a look at some ways and locations you can ask the love of your life to spend the rest of your days together! {isn’t this exciting?}
Ok – so there are some things to consider as we search through these options, such as, proposals at home, over electronic devices, at work, or in a public arena. I’ll keep them in categories to keep it simple.
#1 Proposals in a public space:
PAPARAZZI PROPOSALS
a) Choose a favorite place — whether it’s a fountain, hotel rooftop, monument or national park — that has personal significance to the two of you. Once you’re there, ask someone nearby to take a picture of you together, and instead of posing, drop down on one knee.
b) Have a choir, brass band or drum line show up for a surprise performance of your girlfriend’s favorite love song in a park or public location for your proposal. For a really personal touch, ask the performers if they can incorporate her name into the lyrics.
c) Get in touch with the stage manager of your favorite production and propose after the cast’s curtain call. Call ahead and see if you can have a special note or ad placement added into the playbill, so you have a keepsake of the proposal.
d) Arrange a surprise proposal with a street caricaturist. Have the caricaturist sketch a picture of you two with word bubbles that say, “Will you marry me?” and “Yes!”
e) Ask the divers at an aquarium to put on a proposal show inside their biggest fish tank. Give them a (waterproof) sign that says, “Will you marry me?” to hold up against the glass and then position yourselves for what will, at first, seem like feeding time.
f) Send your unsuspecting girlfriend on a treasure hunt that ends with your proposal. Start with a clue at home (a handwritten note or text message) that leads to a tour of your favorite spots all over town.
g) Go out for a night of dancing and ask the DJ or bandleader to pass you the mic so you can dedicate a song and propose on the dance floor.
h) Take out a full-page ad in a newspaper, and then pick the perfect spot to have a relaxing morning with coffee & current events. Another twist on this idea is to call into a radio station and then make sure your girlfriend is listening when your proposal is on the air.
And if the public approach isn’t for you…try this…
JACLYN MARIE PHOTOGRAPHY
a) Gather a bunch of your friends and family for a party and have everyone put on a T-shirt or carry balloons filled with helium (otherwise they won’t float) bearing one of the letters in the phrase, “Will you marry me?” Then during the party suggest a group picture to reveal the message.
b) Throwback to your childhood with a proposal written in sidewalk chalk on her street or driveway.
c) Create makeshift letters that spell out, “Will you marry me?” using anything from colored duct tape (against a wall or a piece of poster board) to scrapbooking materials. Surprise your girlfriend with your creation at work, home or the park. (Not crafty? Hire a graffiti artist to write out an artistic marriage proposal in huge letters!)
#3 For a more Techie Proposal
The Knot
a) Add a custom proposal “song” to her “go-to” playlist on iTunes, or record an unexpected proposal podcast.
b) Have a friend take photos of you with posters that say, “will,” “you,” “marry” and “me?” Then make plans to meet up in a special spot, and before you arrive, text the photos in order. When the last message goes through, show up and get down on one knee.
c) Create a web page declaring your love and proposal, and leave a clue with the web address written on it — don’t say a word. After the proposal, announce the good news by sending the link to family and friends.
d) Set up a live-stream channel (on Ustream.tv) and invite all of your friends and family to watch the proposal live from wherever you choose to pop the question!
#4For a Foodie Proposal, keep reading
JESS BARFIELD PHOTOGRAPHY
a) Make the box holding the ring a selection on the dessert tray at your favorite restaurant.
b) Put together a gift basket of yummy treats–like dark chocolate, coffee or fresh fruit– and hide the ring among the presents (in its own box, so it doesn’t get lost in the goodies).
c) Ask the pastry chef to write, “Will you marry me?” in chocolate sauce around the rim of a dessert plate.
d) Ask a baker to make a custom cake with the proposal written in frosting. Then, have the cake displayed in the storefront and take your girlfriend window-shopping. Bring the cake home to share and celebrate afterward!
#5 Proposals at Work (work too!)
ADAM DEIERLING
a) Sneak into your soon-to-be fiance’s office or classroom before they arrive in the morning and write your proposal on their desk or blackboard. Stay hidden from sight until they show up!
b) Before your girlfriend leaves for work, sneak out to her car and place a note on her windshield.
c) With the help of your girlfriend’s co-workers, schedule a last-minute meeting toward the end of the day. And then, afterwards, maybe the group goes out to celebrate!
#6 Proposals Caught on Camera
MANDY FIERENS
a) Hire a photographer to capture your proposal, but tell your girlfriend that you’ve won a romantic couple’s photo shoot. Get dressed up and then propose mid-shoot, and follow it up with romantic engagement shots.
b) Pick the perfect spot to propose and have a photographer hide somewhere discreet. After your proposal, your photographer can snap some posed photos too.
c) Hire a photographer, but tell your girlfriend that he/she is new at this and needs practice and would she mind being the ‘guinea pig’ for some free photos. Then mid-way through the shoot, drop to one knee.
#7 Fall and Winter Proposals
CARMEN SALAZAR PHOTOGRAPHY
a) Rake the leaves in her yard to spell out your proposal.
b) During the holiday season, use outdoor string lights to write out “Will you marry me?” on the front of her house, apartment or lawn. Station your friends and family secretly inside and come up with an excuse to linger out front. Then have someone flip the switch to reveal the message.
c) Fall days are perfect for picnics and/or bike rides. Fill your basket with goodies to include the ring box.
#8 Spring & Summer Marriage Proposals
ASH FOX PHOTOGRAPHY
a) Propose in a flower or botanical garden when everything is in bloom.
b) Have a friend or family member set up a picnic — complete with wine and cheese, of course — for you in a park. Then come up with an excuse for taking a hike where you’ll stumble upon this surprise proposal picnic.
c) Pick a spot for some summer stargazing (it’s even more perfect if there’s a meteor shower or lunar eclipse expected) and propose under the night sky.
d) Suggest a berry-picking excursion to make some fresh summer pies. Once you’re out there, tell her you’ve found the most perfect berry that she has to see. Instead of ripe fruit, she’ll find you on one knee holding the ring.
e) On the night before a beach day you’ve planned, write a love poem on a piece of parchment paper, roll it into an antique bottle with a cork and bury it in a well-marked spot in the sand near your towels. Be sure you “find” the bottle as you dig together — and be ready with the ring.
#9 Marriage Proposals to include a Group Surprise
MOSS & ISAAC
MOSS & ISAAC
a) On your girlfriend’s birthday, plan a “surprise party,” and then pretend to ruin the surprise by having him or her get there early. The real shock will be when you propose and all of your friends and family show up afterward to celebrate.
b) Plan a party filled with friends and family at a bar near where you’ll propose and then suggest a celebratory drink after she says “yes.”
c) Have your proposal in a park, with friends and family a safe distance away. Once you’ve proposed, have everyone show up for an impromptu celebration.
#10 Holiday Marriage Proposals
ROB KORB PHOTOGRAPHY
a) On New Year’s Eve, sneak away to a romantic spot just before midnight and propose as the perfect start to the new year. Then celebrate with a kiss and plenty of champagne.
b) Surprise her with a pet you’ve always wanted to get together (bunny, kitten, puppy) under the Christmas tree and tie the ring around its neck. Or substitute a stuffed animal — still cute, but less maintenance.
c) On the days leading up to February 14, plant Valentine’s Day cards (like the ones you used to give out to classmates in third grade) with sweet messages written inside, around her house, briefcase, purse, desk, etc. Then on Valentine’s Day, present her with a box chocolates containing, you guessed it, the ring.
d) Propose during your local fireworks show on the Fourth of July. Maybe even work with a professional to set up a private message in sparklers that spells out “Marry Me?”
e) Throw a Halloween jack-o’-lantern carving contest for friends and family where everyone reveals their designs. Unveil your pumpkin, carved with your proposal, last.
Best of luck and remember…the best proposal idea you can come up with is from the heart. Make the moment memorable and she’ll be telling this story for years to come. I promise!!
To watch an awesome wedding proposal in action, click here!
For another story to inspire, click here!
HT TheKnot
