75 Real Proposal Ideas

75 Real Proposal Ideas

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Image Jacob & Pauline Photography. “Eugene proposed to me whilst we were on a weekend break in Hampshire. We walked to the top of Butsers Hill in Queen Elizabeth Park before he got down on one knee, producing a diamond ring and making me cry for 10 minutes straight! It was a cold, windy day and we were surrounded by animals and dung everywhere but it was also the most romantic setting at the same time!” Anita and Eugene’s engagement shoot here.

 

On WWW the stories count just as much as the images. And so I have collated quotes from 75 real couples with their proposal stories to inspire those of you hoping to pop the question to your loved one.

OR maybe you are a romantic, or would like to leave a subtle hint to your other half… why not send them this feature ;-)

It seems proposals on holiday or over the festive season are a popular choice. The best tip I have is to think about making your proposal personal to you both as a couple and having it feel just right. If your partner is shy, think about an engagement at home or if you love to travel jump on a plane and have a surprise getaway.

 

Holiday

 

“We were on holiday in Wales, we were staying in a beautiful old cottage at the bottom of a valley in the middle of nowhere, on the first night Kieren suggested we walk to the top of the hill, I took some encouragement but I agreed. When we got to the top the view was amazing, rolling hills and lots of sheep! Kieren got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.

We had been together for six years and friends and family kept saying I’m sure it will be this holiday! And I’m so glad it was. It was very romantic and the way he proposed was a surprise.” Laura and Kieren’s wedding here.

“Ollie and I had visited New York a few years previously and fell in love with the City, we always wanted to go back, so decided to visit at Christmas time.

It was a cold but sunny Saturday afternoon, Ollie suggested going to Central Park for the day. Whilst walking through the Park, Ollie spotted a quiet little area and suggested that we sit down for a bit. I could see that Ollie was a bit agitated but didn’t think anything of it.  It was all a bit of blur from then on,  because the next thing I remember is Ollie with a ring in his hand asking me to marry him . Even though we had been together for so long (10 years), I still had no idea that he was going to propose. Of course there was no hesitation and I immediately said ‘yes’.

But that wasn’t the end of the surprise, Ollie then went on to tell me that the ring he had actually bought me was not ‘the ring.’ He said he didn’t want to deprive me of a shopping experience (I love shopping) and it was by no coincidence that our next stop was Tiffany’s on 5th Avenue.  I am a bit.. okay a lot more impulsive than Ollie, so whilst Ollie had set aside two days for me to choose the ring, I knew within 10 minutes which one I wanted. The service in Tiffany’s on the day was amazing and what made it even more memorable was the handwritten note (from the lady that served us) that we received when we returned home from New York.” Amy and Ollie’s wedding here.

“We visited Prague in February and on a perfectly sunny and cold crisp day as we walked across Charles Bridge Adam got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.  As soon as it sank in and we started telling all our friends and family we were so excited and decided to plan our wedding as soon as we could. The ring was stunning and Adam had sneaked off to the diamond quarter in Birmingham to get it made, he chose the diamond, band and clasp separately and it is perfect.” Faye and Adam’s wedding here.

“It took Andy 6 years to pop the question! A year before our holiday to San Francisco Andy was planning his proposal. This involved digging out old photos of us, and having to take new photos, each of which had the shape of a letter in – so that once bound in a photo book in the correct order spelled out the words “will you marry me?” All that was left for Andy to do was smuggle the book and engagement ring to San Francisco then sweat it out until the right moment. I knew something wasn’t right with Andy all that day (he claimed it was just jet-lag) but never guessed what he had planned. He walked us to a secluded spot between the Golden Gate Bridge and water bank and popped the question by giving me the book – just in time, as minutes after saying yes (and drying my eyes) a policeman showed up to move us along as we had been trespassing on private land!” Collette and Andy’s wedding here.

“We were on holiday in Malcesine, Lake Garda. After going for a lovely meal we were sat on a jetty overlooking the lake when he popped the question!” Daniela and Paul’s wedding here.

“Alexander proposed whilst we were playing Scrabble in front of an open fire at the Knockderry House Hotel in Cove, Scotland. He wrote it out on the Scrabble board half way through the game we were playing. Emma didn’t realise what was going on until he got to the letter ‘U’!” Alexander and Emma’s wedding here.

“After four years together, we had talked about getting married, but hadn’t made any firm plans.  We booked a holiday to Turkey last year and one evening while we were sitting on the hotel’s jetty overlooking the river, Owen produced a large box and inside was a beautiful hammered silver bracelet, which he said was to commemorate our anniversary.  Owen asked to look at the bracelet and he said that there was something written on the inside, I took a look and it was engraved with ‘Will you marry me, Lisa?’ As soon as I saw it, Owen got down on one knee and again asked me to be his wife.  We arranged a day out to Hatton Gardens to choose an engagement ring once we returned from holiday.  He certainly surprised me!” Lisa and Owen’s wedding here.

“Ben and I had a holiday booked for Santorini, but when he broke his foot playing football we had to cancel last minute! Unbeknownst to me, Ben had planned to propose there, so he was really upset about having to call it off.

When Ben’s foot healed, we quickly booked a holiday to Rome and then Florence. We visited the romantic sites, had some amazing gelato and admired the beautiful artwork, especially the sculptures of Gian Lorenzo Bernini. I actually think his version of David is much more powerful than Michelangelo’s! If you don’t believe me go look it up! It’s intense!

It was after a delicious dinner by the river in Florence, Ben got down on one knee on the famous Ponte Vecchio bridge where lover’s would lock a padlock and throw the key into the river, to become eternally bonded and proposed.” Julieta and Ben’s wedding here.

“January 2012. We were in New Zealand on holiday and it was the day before my birthday. We had planned to walk the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, near Taupo. The day trek, although beautiful, isn’t for the faint hearted and truthfully, I perhaps wasn’t as fit as I should have been! After setting off at 6am and walking for about 4 hours I threw the towel in. Although I didn’t want to continue, I was devastated that I had ruined this walk for Neil (who had always wanted to do this yet wouldn’t leave me), and we were pretty sombre on the drive back towards Taupo.

Neil suggested we stop near Mission Bay on Lake Taupo and eat our packed lunch. We were lakeside, watching the ducks and I was generally not paying attention when Neil gave me a hug and asked if I would be his wife. I wasn’t really taking him seriously until he says with vigour: ‘and I brought the ring!’ and fishes it out of his backpack. I couldn’t stop staring at it. He’d bought it in Newcastle and carried it across the world! It so transpires that he had planned to propose on top of the crossing, but we obviously hadn’t got there. It may not have happened in the way he had hoped, but it was still intimate and memorable and we were so happy (I, of course, said yes!). Our families and friends were quite shocked but overjoyed. It was a lovely time.” Rebecca and Neil’s wedding here.

“We were on holiday with friends in southern Spain, we had gone up to a town in the mountains called Mijas, when we sat down for dinner Dan said that he wanted to go and take a photograph of the sunset. When we got there he proposed and we then spent the evening celebrating with our friends with lots of Champaign.” Kate and Daniel’s wedding here.

“We’d taken a bit of time off work to go travelling. Towards the end of the trip we had a few luxury nights booked near the Great Barrier Reef.  As we were relaxing one afternoon, Tom completely surprised me by asking if I wanted to marry him, my first reaction was to ask if he was serious!  He then produced about thirty different cheap funny rings in a sparkly pink box; he’d carried them round three different countries without me noticing! It was a fabulous surprise.” Tom and Vix’s wedding here.

“It was a complete surprise. We went for a night away in North Norfolk for my 30th birthday. As soon as we arrived Richard suggested we go for a walk in the park land behind the hotel and told me to take my camera as last time we had been my battery was flat and I was gutted as the views were amazing. We went to the same spot I had wanted to take photos at before and that is were he proposed. No one else was around and the evening was perfect. The next day was my 30th birthday so we celebrated with some ring shopping and a meal in the evening with family.” Richard and Rebecca’s wedding here.

“We were staying at the Sanderson Hotel in London for my birthday and after a relaxing time in the spa we returned back to the room to find Champagne & Chocolate covered Strawberries waiting. Joss told me to pour the champagne whilst he went to the bathroom and when he returned we toasted the Champagne “to us”. Then he reached into his pocket & pulled out a small box & to my disbelief he opened it and proposed. I was shocked! But extremely happy and of course accepted. It was so intimate and such a special moment, a moment I will remember forever.” Tori and Joss’ wedding here.

“In San Francisco, on holiday after attending our friends wedding in Lake Tahoe. The proposal was due to take place on the Golden Gate Bridge but it was too windy so took place much later, after many cocktails in a bar!” Susie and Sean’s wedding here.

“We went to Castleton, Derbyshire for the weekend and were out walking in the beautiful countryside! No one-knee proposal and not a glass of champagne or a rose petal in sight…it was this that made it perfect for me! A pint of beer and a packet of crisps in the local to celebrate instead and we chose the ring the following day – together.” John and Charlotte’s engagement here.

“Woody proposed to me while we were on holiday  in Tenerife. It was our first proper holiday since coming back from travelling a couple of years before so we were happily sat there watching the sun set when Woody surprised me by  popping the question!

The ring is his mothers’ engagement ring, she died when he was 9 so it is such an honour for his Dad to give it to him to give to me, it made me feel so special and is much more meaningful to me than a new ring.” Andrew (Woody) and Sarah’s wedding here.

 

Image by Binky Nixon. “We got engaged in Goa in December 2012, it was so special, on a rickety bridge over a lake, with both his hands held into fists, he told me to choose a hand- Ben is a bit of a pranker, and always tries to scare me so i was a bit worried as it would probably be a cockroach or something horrid, but no, he got down on one knee and proposed! It was such a surprise ! We kissed and turned around to be greeted by an explosion of fireworks- that Ben had not organised, it was just perfect timing.” Lou and Ben’s engagement shoot here.

 

Beach

 

“Nathan at the time was working away from home for four weeks at a time and then would only have one week at home. We had gone for a drive up to one of the local beaches just outside of Brisbane in Queensland. We were walking along the beach and all of a sudden he was on one knee with a ring, asking me to spend the rest of my life with him, it was a complete shock and amazing. It turned out he had been secretly planning it for months and I had no idea, it was perfect.” Leah and Nathan’s wedding here.

“At sunset, by the beach!” Zoe and Dave’s wedding here.

“Owen proposed whilst we were on the holiday of a lifetime in Borneo. We were in a Jacuzzi overlooking the beach on a tropical island when he popped the question. He had even designed a beautiful emerald and diamond wedding ring with the help of our jeweller friend which made it much more special.” Sarah and Owen’s wedding here.

“22nd June 2012 – on Eight Arch Bridge, Broad Haven South Lilly Ponds, near Bosheston, Pembrokeshire.

Beautiful evening walk down to one of our favourite white sandy beaches; packed the wrong walking boots so walked in my socks around muddy puddles, I stopped to take photos, he went down on one knee, and I said YES. The boy did good!” Jacqueline and Peter’s wedding here.

“It was the first night of our holiday in Cornwall staying in a very cute little cottage. Returning from the local pub we decided to walk the dog up the side of a nearby cliff, at the top we sat down on a bench, I was looking out at the water and when I turned back Elliott got down on one knee with a beautiful ring, I said yes and cried a lot of happy tears! He said proposing on a cliff top was a good plan as if I had said no he would have pushed me off!” Louise and Elliott’s wedding here.

“On the beach in the pouring rain, in Cornwall.” Amy and Chris’ wedding here.

“Jona proposed on the deck of a beautiful wooden sailing boat, anchored in the bay of st tropes, at sunset!” Mary and Jona’s wedding here.

 

Surprise Getaway

 

“Rob proposed in December 2012. It was a rather quick decision (although the ten years preceding might have helped). Rob decided on the Mon 10th Dec to propose on the Sat 15th Dec. He managed to arrange this as a total surprise to Lee, asking her dad for permission in the week and utilising their house guest, a friend known as Graycat to take a bag of their clothes up to the Mayfair Hotel in London, and encouraging Lee to believe her Saturday night out in town  was just leaving drinks for him.  Whisking Lee up to town, Lee was kept in the dark about the events of the night to follow, surprising her with cocktails initially, followed by the announcement that a room had been booked and a dinner as well “as a Christmas Treat!”. Wanting to see the hotel room, Lee was then surprised by the bottle of champagne chilling, and taking a second look at the neck of the bottle…. she saw a beautiful engagement ring tied in bow to it, and spun round to find Rob on one knee! The rest as they say, is history!” Lee and Robert’s wedding here.

“I proposed on a hike in the dales, I’d booked a stay at the nearby Yorke Arms hotel and restaurant as a surprise.  It all went well apart from me forgetting to pack any make-up or toiletries for my future wife!!” Jeremy and Laura’s wedding here.

“Paul took me away for a little weekend surprise trip to Warwick where we stayed at a beautiful old converted monastery. Paul told me after he initially planned on taking me for a lovely stroll in the grounds and finding a romantic little spot to pop the question….but due to the rain and me being a tad grumpy about going for a walk in the rain he came up with plan b and to wait until later that evening (rain seems to be the theme for us for anything we do!). After a wonderful dinner Paul found a quiet (and pretty) little corner of the hotel where he asked if I would like to know where we would be going (he had also planned another surprise getaway which he had been hinting at all day). With that he popped back to the room and came back with an amazing!! scrapbook he had lovingly put together of all our memories and keep sakes he had kept from over the years we had been together. Just before I turned the last page Paul stopped me and told me loved me (and all the mushy stuff) to which I turned the page to find a card he had made and put in the book asking me to marry him!! :) After saying yes he then gave me the ring and finished off with saying he was taking me to Marrakech that week! Lucky gal or what! I later learnt Paul initally planned to propose whilst in Marrakech whilst in the Atlas Mountains…in hindsight that was probably the best thing to not do that as we found ourselves treking practically on hands and knees with steep drops when we got to the mountains and knowing me I would have probably dropped the ring off the edge of a cliff in excitement! The scrapbook is amazing and something we can always look back on. Paul left several pages blank at the end to which we have already added engagement and wedding memories to! Still a few more pages to fill….wonder what with next?” Amanda and Paul’s wedding here.

“He surprised me with a Christmas trip to New York where the entire thing was planned out complete with trip to watch the Lion King, dinner at The Riverside Café and ice skating in Central Park. He proposed in the middle of the park next to a lake with nobody around.” Rachel and Chris’ wedding here.

“In a 18th Century converted Dovecote on the Northumberland coast.” Keri and Chris’ wedding here.

“Versailles, Paris (you can see their engagement shoot here)” Chris and Jenna’s wedding here.

“In March 2012 Jamie surprised me by booking a weekend away to Paris for my birthday. We’d never been before so it was a really special trip. Everyone was convinced he was going to propose to me there, and of course the thought did cross my mind, but I was sure I hadn’t seen him pack the ring and after a couple of days of sightseeing and no sign of Jamie hopping down on one knee, I was pretty much certain he wasn’t planning it this trip. We had an amazing time exploring, Paris truly is a beautiful and very romantic city.

Towards the end of our break we went to see the Eiffel Tower (Aah yes you all know what’s coming now!) . We walked through some lovely gardens down to the Tower and as we were walking back through the gardens, we stopped to take some more photos and Jamie started getting all sentimental (the penny still hadn’t dropped for me at this point, doig!); he suddenly popped down onto one knee and produced my gorgeous ring. In typical me fashion, I burst into tears, said yes very quickly and threw my arms around him. It was very romantic, and a wonderful surprise – we even had a few claps in the background from passers-by!

We celebrated that evening with a delicious meal, and a bottle of champagne with friends who happened to be in Paris at the same time as us. It really was perfect!” Alex and Jamie’s wedding here.

“It became a tradition of ours that every year for our anniversary Ian would take me to Chester for the weekend on a mini break. 2 years ago he took me away and surprised me by getting down on one knee near the river/ canal and asking me to marry him. I was in total shock and so happy.” Sally and Ian’s wedding here.

“It was my birthday, 2nd September 2011. Jordan had surprised me the day before with a trip to Edinburgh, where I LOVE. This was obviously my birthday present and I didn’t expect anything else to happen on this trip in the slightest! We had been watching a TV program a couple of months before where there was a couple choosing her engagement ring and I had always said I would want to be proposed to as a complete surprise and not know anything about it at all. So on our first night in Edinburgh (after a few drinks) I decided to bring up the subject of rings and marriage. It didn’t go quite as I planned as Jordan had obviously kept this program in mind and decided to throw me off guard by saying he didn’t want to get engaged until we were at least 30….little did I know that he had a ring in his pocket at the time and was planning to make me the happiest person on the planet the very next day!!!

So the next morning, my birthday, Jordan had planned a trip for the two of us to go to one of Edinburgh’s beaches. We walked out to Cramond Island where we had so much fun trudging through all the wet sand as the tide had gone out, Jordan had to give me piggy backs through rock pools, whilst juggling my camera, shoes and what I now know, my ring! Cramond Island is a beautiful spot that has an amazing view of Edinburgh from. We climbed to the top of the island where he got down on one knee and popped the question, I cannot begin to describe how happy we both were at that one very moment, in our own world with no one else around….it was beautiful!” Jordan and Emily’s wedding here.

“Darron surprised me with a trip to New York. I thought I was heading down the country for a few days but ended up at the airport. We stayed at a gorgeous hotel in city and on the second morning, June 23rd 2012, I woke up to Darron’s proposal with a gorgeous necklace as the deal sealer! We spent the day wandering around having champagne and cocktails to celebrate. It was lovely; New York is our favourite city so it was very apt! We spent the next few months looking for my engagement ring together. It was a great time!” Darron and Aisling’s wedding here.

Image by Darren Mack. “I was taken completely by surprise, we’d mentioned marriage in the past but I thought I’d have to do a lot more nagging and hinting before he actually popped the question! The setting was perfect, and I’m thrilled that now we’ll always have the photos as a keepsake. I know that our friends and family who live many miles away are very grateful for them too. Put simply, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been.” Emma and Rob’s proposal here.

Valentine’s Day

 

“We didn’t meet until I was already 35 and Andy 40 so once we knew we were going  to be together  we decided children needed to come first -  before it was too late! Andy proposed  whilst our two oldest children were asleep upstairs one valentines evening.  11 years after meeting,  eight months after the arrival of our  third (and final!) child we finally did it! It was very special having all of our children there to celebrate with us.” Yvette and Andrew’s wedding here.

“Adam decided that on Valentines day 2012 he wanted to take me to watch the sunrise at Arne nature reserve in Wareham. I, unsuspecting of his plans, was very reluctant to get out of bed at 5am on that particular morning so Adam practically had to drag me out of bed, insisting that we go. When we arrived there we discovered that the car park did not even open until 7am, so we tried to park on the verge at the side of the road, only to bank the car instead, meaning Adam had to get out and push us off. By this time I could tell Adam was getting worried about missing the sunrise, so we ran up the hill and fortunately got there just as it did, no one else was in sight. At which point everything became clear to me as he dropped on his knee, gave me a lovely little speech and pulled out a ring! To which I started uncontrollably giggling before saying “yes!”.” Adam and Gemma’s wedding here.

“Despite having been together for 8 years and taking a trip to Paris on Valentines Day, the proposal was still totally unexpected. We arrived in Paris on the 12th and poor Nick spent the next two days nervously carrying the ring around, hoping he wouldn’t get exposed by the many bag searches we went through in museums… I woke up with a slightly sore head on Valentines Day after a little too much Cotes du Rhone the night before but to my surprise Nick was up early and heading out to fetch breakfast. He came back with a huge bag filled croissants, bread, cheese and champagne. We were staying in a beautiful apartment so Nick laid the dining table with everything and called me to sit down. It was then he dropped to one knee. I wish I could remember every detail of those moments but all I really remember were a lot of tears and finally saying Yes! Poor Nick was so relieved to finally propose, he’d chosen the ring in way back in October and had been waiting for the right time to propose when I suggested we go to Paris in the new year. Once we’d decided to go he knew he had to wait until then and I am so glad he did. Up until the Wedding Day that was the happiest day of my life.” Kim and Nick’s wedding here.

 

At Home

 

“Mike proposed in the middle of our living room a week after our 10-year anniversary in our first house that we had been in for a few weeks. We had been saving for our house deposit for several years yet Mike had somehow saved up to buy an engagement ring that we brought together after he proposed. It was a traditional proposal with Mike on one knee and we stayed up for hours talking about our life together for the coming years.” Sarah and Mike’s wedding here.

“When Karl and I got together I was in my first year of 4 years of full time study and Karl had secretly planned for some time to propose on the day after I had finished.  For one of our first dates we had gone down to the sea wall  in the old town where we live  for drinks and a platter of seafood which on the night of the proposal Karl had recreated at home with some bubbles before going out (we had pre planned a ‘freedom’ dinner to celebrate my finishing studying).  I had no idea that he was about to propose, so much so that part of the way through Karl’s build up I suddenly realised that our chickens needed putting to bed and insisted that we went out to do it…. 10 minutes of chasing chickens round the garden later we were back inside where Karl popped the big question and we had a night of double celebration! He proposed with a stunning ring he’d designed himself and was made by a very good old school friend of mine which made it all the more special.  When I saw the ring I knew that Karl knew me better than I could ever imagine as I couldn’t have designed anything I would have loved more, he got it completely right.” Lucy and Karl’s wedding here.

“On a Sunday morning, he made me a coffee and bought it up to our room with it on a tray next to a rose with the ring around it and got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I, of course said yes!” Simon and Madeleine’s wedding here.

“After I returned home from a night shift at the maternity unit, John had raided the children’s dressing up box,  sporting a huge red dicky bow  with flashing lights whilst our eldest son Efan dressed up as Batman, in charge of the ring!” John and Katie’s wedding here.

“The proposal was slightly more impromptu than Phil had originally planned. Phil was picking up my brother, who lives in Zambia, from Heathrow airport, but had also arranged to collect the engagement ring on the way. I knew Phil was designing a ring, but had no idea when this would be finished. My brother’s return was a surprise so when he and Phil got back from the airport we had a nice and emotional family reunion. Giving that it was our 6 year anniversary, Phil ceased his opportunity and proposed there and then. It wasn’t in a fancy place, but the timing was perfect.” Lydia and Phil’s wedding here.

“I arrived home from the work the night before my birthday to find Mark beside a huge stack of presents. I sat on the floor with my legs crossed and started to unwrap. To my huge disappointment… a desk fan. My beautiful engagement ring was hidden inside.” Emma and Mark’s  wedding here.

“Pre stone roses gig on the 30th of June 2012…. Was supposed to be at the gig but Tom bottled it incase he lost the ring or got searched on the way in!” Katy and Thomas’ wedding here.

“After a perfect sunny day strolling the beaches of Whitstable in November 2012, Jamie proposed on a scrabble board.” Sarah and Jamie’s wedding here.

“Gary proposed over breakfast in bed, very cozy and romantic. He brought me a side of ‘diamond ring’ with my egg on toast, got down on one knee… and the rest is history!” Sam and Gary’s wedding here.

“We got engaged on the Quayside at Newcastle on 28.8.12. Andy had planned to propose later that week but the ring arrived early so he proposed that day…right before we were off to the cinema to watch the Dark Knight Rises!” Andy and Vicky’s wedding here.

 

Image by Miki Photography. “We were both living and teaching in south korea. i had just had laser eye surgery and was sleeping with some very unattractive goggles on! michael was looking after me and after he put in some eye drops in he proposed! However soon after that I had to go back to the UK and he the USA. Since then (Two years later) it’s been a trans atlantic love affair and endless flights back and forth for both of us as we’ve looked forward to this day.” Wendy and Michael’s engagement shoot here.

 

Christmas

 

“So on Christmas morning (2011) we woke up in our lovely little flat, slightly worse for wear from Christmas Eve drinks the night before, and made our way to mum and dads to open presents with them around the tree. We then returned home to open our presents to each other round our Christmas tree where I opened all the presents I already knew I had because I’d chosen them (!) and I presented Chris with his new Hugo Boss golf bag – lucky boy!

It’s only when I look back I notice how odd Chris was acting that morning. We had a spot of breakfast together and then chilled on the sofa watching a bit of TV, all the while Chris kept disappearing into our bedroom for stints pretending to do something or other.

The time came for us to start getting ready for the day ahead so I ran a bath and enjoyed a soak. I got out of the bath, hair sopping wet, last night’s make up down my face and wrapped in a towel, at which point Chris stopped me in the hallway. He coyly told me there was another present for me in the lounge, under the tree. Confused as I’d already opened all the presents I’d chosen and knew about, I edged my way round to the tree where I saw this gorgeous Art Deco inspired diamond ring sparkling away under the tree lights! Me being the big baby that I am burst into tears at the sight of it, covering my face with my hands! Chris then asked me if he should get down on one knee and I was like “Hell yeah, you only get engaged once!” I, of course, said yes!” Lucy and Chris’ wedding here.

“Christmas eve 2012 after we had eaten our dinner, Ross offered me a chocolate from the tin… I opened it and inside was a ring! When I turned around Ross was on one knee… I asked him if he was joking! I said yes obviously!” Lucy and Ross’s wedding here.

“It happened on Christmas day in 2011. I opened my card to find it said ‘fiance’ on it, to which I thought was a practical joke and turned round to have a go, to see he was on one knee. We had a lovely day, and my family had champagne ready because to my surprise he had asked my father’s permission.” Rachel and Scott’s wedding here.

“Watch it on you tube: Popping the big ‘Q’ thru the medium of Pyrotechnics. Christmas Eve 2011, we drove to Nottingham to spend the Christmas period with my big sister and my 2 nephews. I went to watch my nephews in the Nativity play, whilst Juls stayed at home with my brother in law (I thought just drinking beer and watching rubbish TV, but actually plotting the proposal). When we got home we have fish & chips for tea, and then Juls told us he and my brother in law had set up some fireworks for us to watch…I thought it would be a bit lame (and cold!), and said I’d stay inside and wash up, but they were all adamant, so I went out to have a look…

At which point some heart shape rockets went up…( I was thinking, “What was he thinking?! Pink, heart shape rockets…for my nephews?!”)…then he turned round, my brother in law lit a big ‘MARRY ME?’ firework at the end of the garden, and Juls proposed. My nephews were convinced it must say Merry Christmas (Merry is quite like Marry to a 5 and 7 year old)!” Juls and Steph’s wedding here.

“Although Roger and I have been together for nearly 10 years, his proposal on Christmas Day 2012 still came as a lovely surprise. He proposed in our house after we’d opened our presents, and he did get down on one knee!” Alice and Roger’s wedding here.

“Christmas Day 2011. Porthcurno Beach (also where the wedding photos were taken).

We went on a morning dog walk to our favourite beach on Christmas morning. We decided to only do small presents that could fit inside a stocking (that I made the night before!) and in the tip of the toe was a tiny trinket box holding my grandmothers Edwardian ring. It was completely amazing and surreal.” Emma and James’s wedding here.

“This was a complete surprise on December 20th. I love Christmas and we had Michael’s family coming to stay the next evening. We were at home alone with the Christmas tree up and the fire going, both in our pyjamas! I had been tasked with getting in a romantic dinner, but forgot so just picked up pizza on the way home, Michael didn’t seem impressed! When i got home he started being extra nice, making sure i had a mulled wine and that the fire was stocked and that i was sitting comfortably! Then he went over to the Christmas tree and said he had a treat for me and asked me to come over. He reached into the branches and pulled out a little blue box, i immediately knew what he was doing and screamed (highly romantic!) and he got down and one knee and popped the question! I was in shock and started sweating and shaking and told him yes! We had a lovely evening with champagne while i gawped at the beautiful HUGE emerald ring he had had made. He’d found an artist online who cast the band part over a twig and then he got the emerald set by a jeweller separately. I couldn’t believe how much effort had gone to, i was very impressed!” Ella and Michael’s wedding here.

“Christmas morning 2011, ring was hiding on the Christmas tree.” Vicki and David’s wedding here.

 

Image by Georgi Mabee. “Very uneventful! I had given Rory the ring a year or two before. It was given to me by my Great Grandmother when I was a teenager, it was her engagement ring, and I refused to have anything but Nan’s ring. Rory gave the ring back to me on Christmas Day 2011, just after we had woken up. I don’t even remember him asking me to marry him; just a few quiet mumbles, but the sentiment was there!” Rory and Kim’s engagement here.

 

New Years

 

It was that quiet period between Christmas and New Year and we were at my parent’s house packing our bags ready to head back to Brighton. We were both muttering about how we weren’t ready to get back to normality after the Christmas festivities and the mood was pretty low…until Damo delved into his bag and presented me with the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen. It’s fair to say I burst into tears with happiness! We spent the evening having an impromptu gathering in our favourite pub in Marlow with all our friends and family present. The last thing I remember from the night was of a crowd of us singing love songs round Damo’s mum’s piano!” Jennifer and Damien’s wedding here.

“The proposal happened on New Years Eve 2011. Under the guise of hanging a ball created by him .. He took me in the square in Fiano sprinkling of snow, under the big Christmas tree all lit up! As we watched the house of our dreams that we had already seen before .. (after 3 months that has become our current nest) .. he pulled out a white rose saying “this is for you” At first I did not notice the ‘ring’ was amongst the petals. . When I saw it he proposed!” Wendy and Geremi’s wedding here.

“December 28 2011. Ben surprised me with an overnight stay at Fischers in Baslow and a meal in their Michelin-starred restaurant. He had commissioned bespoke designs of my engagement ring, which he presented to me in a gift box. When I opened it, the top card said “Will you marry me?”!” Katy and Ben’s wedding here.

“Gavin’s family is Scottish and we spent our first few holidays there when we first got together. Stirling in particular holds many memories of our first visit there, during our new year’s holiday in 2010 we went to Stirling and visited the Wallace Monument, a massive tower built in honour of William Wallace (Braveheart). The monument has particularly stunning views across beautiful countryside; it really does take your breath away! After climbing the endless stairs to the top, he waited for all the tourists to go and then when we were completely alone and seemingly on top of the world he popped the question! It really was a magical moment.” Katie and Gavin’s wedding here.

 

Day Out

 

“Jon had wanted to take me to a place he had loved and held fond memories of as a child- Westonbirt arboretum, near his childhood home in Bath. Despite waking up on a very wet and blustery autumnal morning in our home in Wales (and me suggesting we go swimming instead), Jon was insistent that we should go for a day out to Westonbirt as it was renowned for its autumnal colour and would absolutely, most definitely brighten up so Jon packed us a picnic and away we went. Towards the end of a gloriously sunny day we stumbled across a really quiet avenue of trees, then this clearing emerged with the most beautiful bright silver giant eucalyptus. Some of the bark had shed so I got very excited about stuffing some in our rucksack to take home and make something with it. When I turned around and Jon was on his knee I didn’t really think anything of it, I thought he was collecting bark, until he presented me with the most extraordinary ring I had ever seen. The same time the following year we went back to Westonbirt and to the same tree for our engagement shoot. The bark we collected was used to frame a photo from our shoot.” Jon and Jade’s wedding here.

“We were on safari in one of Matt’s favourite concessions in Botswana, Mombo.  Matt is a private safari guide and wanted to visit an area in the concession that had previously been inaccessible due to the flood, so we set off  just the two of us in a game drive vehicle one morning with a cooler box of drinks to explore this area.  I noticed a bottle of bubbly in the cooler box but thought nothing of it as we often take bubbly with us on game drives with guests.   We later stopped at a beautiful site and parked the vehicle in front of a herd of red lechwe grazing in the water.   Here we sat and enjoyed the serene natural surroundings while listening to fish eagles calling and sipping on bubbly.   It was only after I had drunk half a glass that I noticed something shining in the glass.   I downed the rest to get to the ring and with a cheeky grin Matt asked me to be his wife with only the fish eagles, red lechwe and a lazy water monitor lizardas witnesses.” Liezl and Matt’s wedding here.

“James proposed a couple of monthsafter we’d returned from the trip of a lifetime travelling through South America for six months. Instead of choosing one of the monumentally beautiful spots by the edge of a Patagonian glacier, or in the

Galapagos, he chose a canalside in Bradford upon Avon! It was a wonderful warm Autumn evening as the sun came down. I did wonder why we were taking SUCH a long walk before dinner – turns out he was trying to find a dry spot on the towpath to go down on one knee! I was so surprised, I forgot to reply. He looked a little worried and prompted me for an answer – but it was a definite yes!” Anna and James’ wedding here.

“We got a Groupon deal to the Red Lion in Burnsall near Skipton in March 2012. The weather was wonderful, with lambs skipping around everywhere. We had an afternoon out at Ingleton Falls  and James proposed on a grassy boulder in front of a waterfall. He got down on one knee and of course I said Yes! He told me later that he had been trying to propose all day but things kept getting in the way, a woman and dog interrupted one effort and a group of Scouts another. He had to use a Haribo ring as he had not been able to get the ring I had spotted.” Joanna and James’ wedding here.

“Nathan and I had talked about getting married from pretty early on in our relationship. I say ‘Nathan and I,’ but it’d probably be fairer to say I had talked about it. And talked.. and talked. We’d looked at rings, and had one designed, so I knew a proposal was on the cards after the ring had been finished.

Just before the ring was finished we went on holiday to Crete. As Nathan is Australian and incredibly active, whereas I excel more at lying on beaches, we had a few lazy days, before embarking  on an 18km hike down Samaria Gorge. I hadn’t planned on hiking on my lovely relaxing holiday, so I promptly bought some converse, and we set off.

About 5km in, I was almost certain that there was no skin left on my feet, but was determined not to whinge. After 10km, when my legs were about to start failing me, and I was convinced that a sunstroke induced collapse was imminent; Nathan suddenly fell over and started groaning in agony, whilst clutching his knee. We’d been warned that in the event of an emergency, the only way out was on the back of a donkey, so it was a bit confusing to turn around and see him suddenly smiling and on one knee. I didn’t catch on, until he pulled a 3-d cut out of the ring out of his pocket, and popped the question. I had thought it would have been impossible to surprise me, so I was really shocked, and very happy.. and dissolved into a smiley crying mess. The rest of the trek then zoomed by, and was much more enjoyable for me than it would have otherwise been!” Claire and Nathan’s wedding here.

“At the top of Minch Moor near Peebles in Scotland, in the middle of a bike ride in the drizzle – a complete surprise!” Emily and Andy’s wedding here.

Image by Samuel Docker. “Ed proposed at a weekend away at a treehouse in Somerset which we found on the Canopy and Stars website. We went for a morning walk together with our freshly brewed coffee, coats and cosy PJs still on. At some point Ed made an excuse to take our coffee cups back to the treehouse while I patiently waited….I had no clue! On our walk back Ed took my hand, I then noticed a ring hanging down from the treehouse, turned around and he was on one knee! I immediately said yes and cried :)” Pam and Ed’s engagement shoot here.

 

Digital

 

“After being together for 5 years, the idea that we both wanted to get married wasn’t a surprise. We had been talking about it for years. As was only possible during a long-distance relationship, the proposal was done over Skype.” Katie and Adam’s wedding here.

“We were in Oslo for a short holiday and it was our last night. We didn’t have much Norwegian currency left so I suggested McDonalds for dinner- I knew something was up when Nick insisted we go to a fancy restaurant I had been admiring for the past few days! After dinner we went to Oslo opera house and went up on to the roof. Nick then brought out his iPad which had ‘Will you marry me?’ written on the screen. He had the ring which he slipped on to my finger and 5 minutes later I realised I still hadn’t looked at it and was then too nervous in case I didn’t like it!! When I finally did look at it, thankfully I loved it!” Nick and Helen’s wedding here.

Restaurant

 

“On a cold winters evening on January 2nd; Jason took me for some dessert at the Haagen Dazs restaurant in Leicester Square. We then went on to the embankment for a long stroll. We ended up just behind Westminster Cathedral where he proposed on one knee under a street lamp. It was all very romantic, especially as my engagement ring is based on Princess Diana’s, and he proposed right at the place she got wed! Awwww” Jason and Chantelle’s wedding here.

After a short summer trip home from our life in Tokyo before we moved to our new adventures living in Antigua, Mark proposed. It was perfect; Mark took me to see a comedy show in the Edinburgh Festival to help calm the nerves, then onto the Tower restaurant at the Museum. We had the best seat in the house with a stunning view of Edinburgh Castle. The fireworks went off as part of the Fringe and there he was down on one knee! I cried so much I forgot to answer Yes! Two days later we celebrated with friends and family for cocktails before our Antiguan Adventure begun!” Amanda and Mark’s wedding here.

Image by Babb Photo.  “Rob proposed to me in the South of France in a candle lit restaurant outside of Nice. He had some champagne sent to the table which I tried to send back because I thought it was a mistake, before I realised what was happening. He pulled out the ring, got on one knee and proposed in the middle of the restaurant, sparking tears of joy from us and applause from the other diners.” Rob and Ashley’s engagement shoot here.

Ahh each and every story is oh so special. Why not share your engagement story below or your dream proposal… I’d love to hear from you XOXO Lou

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