The BEST Marriage Proposals!

Okay, you’re done with the rest and you want the best marriage proposals you can find. You’ve hit the jackpot! These are my favorite marriage proposal ideas.

Most are on this page only, but some are borrowed from my other categories like the creative marriage proposals page and the romantic proposal ideas pages I’ve created. Enough small talk, let’s hit up the best marriage proposals and get you one step closer to getting hitched!

In an Ancestral Marriage Space

Figure out where her parents or grandparents got engaged or married. Propose to your sweetheart in the exact same spot…to the day, if possible. The best proposal ideas are usually those that invoke a sense of history when embracing the future. Show her you value the past almost as much as your future together.

Underwater

Okay, okay, I’m biased on this one being a journalist turned scuba diving instructor, but why not propose underwater on a scuba dive?! It’s the PERFECT surprise. Heck, while you’re at it, visit me in Roatan (see the About Me page here) and I’ll arrange the whole thing for you!

I love, love, LOVE a great proposal and I’ll videotape and photograph it for this site. Eeeeck! The excitement is killing me! The best proposal ideas are definitely the ones I get to help co-ordinate! Oh, and no, there’s no charge for my services ;)

Something unique to YOU

Do something that you and ONLY you could do. If you’re in a band, sing a song about her and then bring her up on stage to propose to her. If you’re a pilot, take her on a private trip and propose a mile above the ground. If you’re a powerline technician…propose from the top of a powerpole or tower and have her brought to you in a bucket truck! The best marriage proposals don’t get more electric than that!

Something unique to HER

Prove that you know her better than anyone else in the world. Do something only she could fully appreciate, like recite some lines from her very favorite play or poem. Modify them to fit the situation, or stage and re-create them! This works best if it’s an inside joke / thing that you’re sure only the two of you know! Likewise, if she’s a huge cross-stitcher, make a cross-stitch. Take a leap into her world to surprise her!

Here is a perfect example of a guy in-love with a girl who planned a musical proposal at DISNEYLAND to surprise her. So cute! Best wishes to Jamin and Val!

Message from the Sea!

It’s hopelessly romantic and surprising all in one. It’s classic and timeless. The message in a bottle on the beach is the stuff dreams are made of. All you have to do is find an old bottle, hand-write a beautiful message and take a stroll down a romantic sunset-drenched beach. Let your love find it and wait behind her on bended knee! Voila! One of the best marriage proposals ever!

A Time Capsule

The very best marriage proposal ideas need a plan. The time capsule proposal is definitely at the top of any list, but it takes some foresight. Make a time capsule with your love and stuff it with great things regarding your relationship.

Make a deal not to open it for six months (or a year if you can wait). Slip the engagement ring inside secretly before you bury it or seal it so that she KNOWS it cannot be opened beforehand. When the two of you open the capsule, get down on one knee and say “I knew I wanted to marry you since [insert date here]” SIGH! How romantic!

In A Church/Synagogue/ Mosque/Temple etc.

While churches aren’t the most romantic of places for some people, they are places of spirituality, worship, and ultimate commitment. What better way to propose to your spouse than in the bounds of a building dedicated to the sacrament of the union you are about to enter into? If you regularly go to a church, get the pastor to announce a special message and get up there and propose in front of God and the congregation!

At a Fake Monument To Your Love

Some of the best marriage proposals take a bit of planning…and prodding! Find a monument nearby and convince the caretaker/city authorities/groundskeeper to let you decorate it for your proposal. Put up photos of the two of you and recreate the story of your romance. Tell your girlfriend you have to swing by that area of town and have her hop out with you. Once at the monument, give her a tour of the best thing that’s ever happened to you and propose at the end!

Under Her Star Constellation

If you know her star constellation, and the two of you are astronomy buffs, there can be no better way to propose to her than to show how your stars are aligned! For best effect, take her somewhere where the stars can be visibly and easily seen (sorry, city dwellers. You’re going to have to take a hike somewhere green!) and kneel down beneath the stars! To add the finishing touch, buy her a star of her own at the Officia
l Star Registry.

With Her Birthstone & Birth Flower

For a proposal best suited to your honey-bunny, don’t just get her a tired old diamond or a bouquet of roses. Find out what her birth stone and birth flower are, and give her a bouquet of those and a ring with her birthstone! For a twist on this, make the gem her birthstone and the flowers your birth flowers, to symbolize your awesome union!

The Traditional: Shaken, Not Lame

Some girls really want that traditional proposal, but it just doesn’t feel right only going to a fancy dinner and then proposing on bended knee. Why not spice it up and get the best of both worlds? Have the waiter deliver her main course, except when he lifts the lid it’s a ring! Go nuts; make it a traditional proposal with a fun little twist!

Simplicity Itself

Sometimes the best marriage proposals in the world might seem too much, too garish; if that’s the case for you and your beloved, why not just propose quietly and simply? At home, on a park bench; no theatrics, no gimmicks, just a simple “will you marry me?” Sometimes the best is also the simplest!

The Marriage Shrine

Collect a few things that pertain to the two of you together; something related to when you first met, your first vacation, your first anniversary, etc. and so forth. Put them in a collage on the living room table or somewhere she can see; when she walks in, propose next to it with your ring and an empty space to put something when she says yes!

What Dreams May Come…

What’s something she always talks about doing later on in life? Living in a home, having a certain kind of car- whatever it may be, find out what it is and go to it, whether it’s a house for sale or a car dealership. Arrange with the house owner / car salesman to let you go in / sit in, and while there tell your girlfriend that you’ve been thinking about the future too (but say it on bended knee, with a ring!)

In Her Favorite Place She’s Never Been

Some people have always dreamed of going somewhere they’ve never been- near or far, everybody’s got that one place! Find out what your girlfriend’s dream spot is, whether it’s Ghana or Graceland and arrange for a very special proposal on her terra nova! The best marriage proposals often combine a new and exciting experience with an equally new and exciting experience (ie. Getting engaged!).

How She’s Always Wanted To Be Proposed To

This one’s tricky, gents… you’ll have to do some sleuthing for this one, since you can’t ask her directly. Think back to everything she’s ever said, get buddy-buddy with her family and friends- try to find out if she’s ever expressed a wish for her dream proposal. The best marriage proposals are often the ones your girl has already thought of herself! If you find it, make sure to vary it a little bit; you want her to think you came up with it all by yourself! (Love can be sneaky, sometimes!)

With Her Nephews, Nieces, Younger Siblings, Cousins…

For the ultimate in cute, enlist the help of as many of her teeny family as possible! You can incorporate this with any of the fun proposals in this list (I’m pretty sure it’s been scientifically proven that cute kids make everything seem better). Have them hold up signs, herd her along, pretend to be coy… whatever fits into your master proposal plan while also playing up their adorable qualities!

Flip-Flop

Does your girlfriend know you inside and out? Does she seem to know what you’re thinking before you do? Be careful- this means she might be able to puzzle out how you’ll propose to her. If you’ve got a proposal idea all set, maybe change it up and do something you might not normally do- if you’re a city boy, go stargazing! If you’re a homebody, take her to Japan (maybe not that extreme, but you get the point). Keep her guessing, and surprise will add that extra special something to your proposal!

In Her Own Custom Theme Vacation

This one isn’t for the faint of heart- propose to her at the end of a vacation tailored just to her! If she’s always wanted to go wine-tasting, have her stay at a wine-themed hotel in a chalet in Burgundy, and propose to her with a ring tied to the side of her favorite wine and vintage. Tailor everything so it feels like a dream, and then make it that much better by proposing! The best marriage proposals are from an experience wrapped in an experience.

Rock The Boat

Some of the best proposal ideas are the ones that go from one extreme to another. If she’s the more adventurous and flirty type, play with her a bit- keep her on the edge with dips and highs in your proposal! Take her out for a quiet picnic, only to reveal it’s at a skydiving field!

Come back from it for a quiet carriage ride that ends at the entrance to a rock concert she’s always wanted to see. Keep bouncing between romantic and exciting to get her right in the mood for your proposal at the end of the day!

Corny To The Max

Some people might hate on the corny proposal, but in reality sometimes the best marriage proposals are born out of it! Instead of going for a wacky, over-the-top proposal, make it memorable in your own way; have a proposal that comes straight out of a romantic novel, complete with roses and puppies and butterflies (maybe not that, but you get the idea!)

With Your Own Tradition

Does your family have a history of special proposals? Does hers? If you know of something that goes back, why not celebrate with their time-honored tradition and be the next in a line of creative marriage-proposers? Don’t leave your girlfriend out of it completely, though- alter that time-honored tradition with something unique to her that the both of you can love! The best marriage proposals incorporate the old with the new.

The Rule-Breaker

I keep harping on having a ring, proposing like this, proposing like that… who says that’s the best option? Who really decides the best marriage proposals (aside from me! Hehe)? Maybe you don’t need a ring, or want to propose traditionally, or even want to propose at all! Search yourself (your feelings, Luke!) and truly bind you and your girlfriend together in a way that’s meaningful to you- don’t let me or anyone else tell you how to do it!

Picture Perfect

Do you want to always remember your proposal? Do you want her to be surprised even after the ring is given? Hire a professional (or really good amateur buddy) photographer to take covert pictures while you propose (and maybe a video). Afterwards, when they’re developed, you’ll have a photographic memory to remember that day with! The best marriage proposals are the ones you capture every moment of!

Combo Proposal

Are you too cool for any of these? Does the thought of all of these seem beneath how you want to express your love? Well then, my friend, guess you’re going to have to go over the top.

The best marriage proposals are sometimes so bold and brazen, no one expects to pull them off (maybe not even you!) Zen garden too boring for you? What if you proposed with the hidden diamond ring, in a choreographed song and dance in the Zen garden, after having ziplined in?

If that’s not enough for you, well… good luck searching, I say! No, I kid, I kid, I’ll still help you find the best marriage proposals. Just drop me a line in the contact me page!