15 Unique Ways To Propose - From Simple To Grander

Before wedding planning can even commence, one partner has to propose to another. It’s a time-old tradition, with each culture having its own special way of doing so. On top of that, it’s a fun thing to do: it represents the potential start of a new life with your favorite person. 

Unique Ways To Propose

BUT…proposing is stressful. Not only do you want it to be a surprise, but you want it to be a memorable and unique experience for both you and your partner. Whatever location, event, or setting you to choose will be a story retold and remembered for years to come – so let’s make it a good one! Here are some of the best ways to propose. 

1. Personal Chef for the Foodie

Are you dating a foodie? Scrap the traditional fancy dinner in a crowded restaurant and do this instead: hire a personal chef. Set the scene wherever you’d like: in the home, you might share, on a rented rooftop, or at a shared sentimental location. If you’re gonna have photography, ensure that the backdrop is picture-perfect. Once you choose a location, make sure you and your partner can be comfortable – you are eating a meal, after all! Have the personal chef make your partner’s favorite food (even if it’s not your favorite), and then decide how you want to pop the question.

Source: Jet's Detroit-Style Pizza 

The traditional route would be to wait until after dinner and then get down on one knee. The alternative is to hide the ring somewhere in the food and surprise your partner with a random bite (just make sure the diamond isn’t too sharp!). 

2. The First Date Location

Remember where you had your first date? The place that spearheaded your loving, committed relationship? Why not commemorate the place that started it all by having your last date (as a non-engaged couple) at the same location as your first date?

Also Read: Gagan & Kevan's Waterfront Wedding In Surrey Is Everything Regal

If you have a good memory, wear exactly what you wore on that first date, and ask your partner to do the same (just don’t be too obvious!). If you want to take it a step further, order the same items you ordered on the first date. Try to recreate anything you remember! From flowers to chocolates to the bottle of wine you may have ordered. Then, when you finally pop that question, it’ll be all the more special. 

3. Use a Photo Booth

Source: Frykman Photography

If you’re not a fan of long, drawn-out moments, a quick photo-booth session would be the way to go. Pro-tip: keep the first picture normal, it’ll keep your partner from being suspicious. Then, pop the ring out during the second picture and relish in their reactions and yours. 

The best advantage of this proposal: you don’t even have to pay for a photographer! It’s a given with this proposal idea!

4. A Customised Puzzle

Source: Mrs Mylaurie

If you or your partner are a fan of board games OR if you do like drawn-out moments, then this one’s for you. Find a website that allows you to make a customized puzzle. Be sure it has a photo or cartoon art of the two of you, and a symbol of your engagement: either the words “Marry Me?” or perhaps a ring. As you make the puzzle together, your partner will soon see your intention behind the puzzle. When you see them make that realization in their face, get on your knees and pop the question.

The moment itself will be drawn-out and intimate, shared by only the two of you. It’s perfect for couples who want privacy and enjoy spending quality time with one another. 

5. For the High-School or College Sweethearts

If you met your partner in school and want to symbolize that special connection, have the proposal at your old high school or college. Pick the classroom you met that special someone in or even the football stadium for something grander. The necessities would be the words, “Marry Me?” and a ring. If you want to add some extra flair, decorate the location with pictures of you and your partner throughout the years. Take a trip down memory lane and show your partner where your love began. 

If you want some people to share the moment with after, invite some of your old school friends and re-create a memory from long ago. 

Also Read: The Ultimate Marriage Proposal Checklist You Can’t Do Without

6. A Comedic Proposal

If you and your partner are fans of comedy (who isn’t?!!), have your proposal at a stand-up comedy show. Choose your favourite comedian and be sure to reach out to them beforehand to see if they can help you with your plan. In the middle of their set, unsuspectingly ask the comedian to point you and your partner out in the crowd and get up on stage. As the comedian goes on with his comedy – perhaps roasting you and your partner – you can get down on one knee and surprise both the audience and your love!

7. Host a Trivia Night

More often than not, proposals are stressful. You’re checking the time, making sure everything is in order, and wondering whether your future fiance will say, “YES!”. To take the stress out of the situation: add some loved ones to your proposal. Host a trivia night with your family, friends, and partner; disguise it as a celebration of an anniversary. 

Start the trivia night with some mild questions: “Where did X person go to college?”, “Where did X and Y meet?”. As the night progresses, finally pop the question, “Will you marry me?”. With your friends and family there to share the moment, it takes the stress out of what should be a momentous and happy occasion. 

8. For the Sports Couple

Lots of couples meet at sporting events or love to attend them together. If sports symbolize a quality time in your relationship, then this proposal idea is for you. 

Go to a live sports game! Choose a game with your favorite team (or teams), or to make it interesting: choose a game between your favorite team and theirs. Then, coordinate with the stadium to make sure you can get the proposal on the big screen/Jumbotron. Finally, be sure to get good seats (aisle seats are the best) since proposing in the middle of screaming fans won’t go so well. 

If all goes well, then every game you attend after at that same stadium, or with those same teams, will be all the more special. 

9. Vacation Proposal

Take your partner out on a fancy vacation, somewhere they’ve always wanted to visit, or a place where you’ve shared a special memory with them. Now, you can go about the proposal itself in different ways. 

When you land, ask the pilot to make a special announcement for you. Then, you can spend the rest of your vacation as an engaged couple. 

If you wanna save the special moment for the middle or end of the vacation, ask the hotel staff to decorate your room with roses and photos of the two of you. After a long day of relaxing on the beach, or being tourists in a new town, come home to a beautiful proposal. 

Source: Nimrita Kang

Go to a touristy spot (the Eiffel Tower is a classic for this). Hire a photographer and ask some fellow tourists to hold up a sign or stand behind you as you pop the big question. Maybe do a small dance and allow the tourists to enjoy the show as well. 

Finally, you could go to a lowkey spot. A small beach in a tiny town, perhaps. Set up some candles, and a couple of pillows, and share a personal, cherishable moment. 

Also Read: Best & Most Romantic Places to Propose in Atlanta

10. Fortune Cookie

Big fans of Chinese food? Order some takeout or eat out at a Chinese restaurant. When the bill comes to the table, so do your fortune cookies! Personalize the message on their fortune cookie to say, “Will you marry me?”. By the time they read it and look up, have the ring (and a smile on your face) ready. 

11. Karaoke

Enjoy singing? Maybe you and your partner dabbled in the theatre back in the day? In that case, a karaoke proposal is the best way to go. Rent out a room at a karaoke bar, and invite your friends too while you’re at it. Start the night off with some of your favorite songs and scream your heart out. Then, when your partner is least expecting it, play, “Love Story” by Taylor Swift or maybe “Mujhse Shaadi Karoge?” by Sonu Nigam, Sunidhi Chauhan, and Udit Narayan. Pick any proposal song you’d like, just make sure the message gets through! Finally, get down on one knee and let the lyrics do the talking. 

12. For the Artist

Here’s a fun idea if you or your partner like to draw or play games: Pictionary! When it’s your partner’s turn, give them a card that says, “Marry me”. They’ll probably draw a person getting down on one knee or maybe an engagement ring. Now, since you know what’s written on the card, you can make your partner work for the answer by saying, “Engage” or “Propose”. Then, when you’re ready, reach for that ring and say, “Marry me?”. Your partner will be caught by surprise by a fun game. 

Also Read: The Ultimate Engagement Ring Buying Guide: 4 C’s

13. Scavenger Hunt 

Here’s another long, drawn-out proposal idea: a scavenger hunt. Make sure you and your partner have some spare time before taking on this idea! 

Design a scavenger hunt where each clue is reminiscent of some part of your relationship. Give your partner a walk down memory lane. The last clue should then lead to a proposal location. When your partner reaches, have both yourself and the ring ready. 

14. Flash Mob 

Haven’t we all dreamed of a Bollywood-esque proposal? Perhaps something straight out of a musical?

Imagine this: you and your partner are walking along a beautiful town, unsuspecting of the people around you. Then, all of a sudden you hear loud music playing, and see two or three people begin to dance. A flash mob, how fun! Your partner watches it get bigger and bigger until, alas, you join in as well. You can see the surprise in their eyes, and then at the end of the dance, you walk towards them and ask the awaited question. Two surprises in one!

15. For Adventurous Couples

Source: Kir2Ben

Do you and your partner like to take on adventures together? Maybe you’ve already gone jet skiing together, or skydiving. Here’s another adventure to take on: hiking. 

Hike along a beautiful trail that leads to a mesmerizing backdrop. Have a photographer hidden at the location you’d like and then pop the question amongst nature. Be sure not to hike too much, or you’ll look sweaty in the photos!

Conclusion

So there you have it: 15 unique proposal ideas. But remember this: whatever you decide to do, it won’t matter as much as the action itself. At the end of the day, both you and your partner will only remember the love you share for one another and the excitement of beginning the rest of your lives. 

Also Read: I’m Engaged! Now What?

Featured Photo: Nimrita Kang

Author: Roshni

Edited & Photo Sourced By: Neha Garg Ahuja