Nearly every woman has dreamed of being proposed to, whether it be simply wanting to see her man down on one knee or if she has every moment choreographed in her imagination. People tend to dismiss the amount of effort it takes someone to plan and get to the point of proposing. And really it is the first real investment in the wedding.
Because of this I have decided to research and write about some amazing ways to have a truly one of a kind engagement without going broke.
1. Forget the fancy restaurant.
Everyone knows the by the book proposal of taking her to a fancy place, spilling you heart out, and then either a) hiding the ring in the food, b) getting violins to come and play while she opens the box, c) going down on one knee after the meal or d) a combination of the above. You will then visit that restaurant one a year until it closes because that's where you proposed. Maybe it's me, but that's a little to plain. Propose at yours and your lover's favorite place, be it Applebees, Buffalo Wild Wings or a local pizza joint. Places like that will also be extra nice in helping you because they know you're a regular and they will WANT to help you on your special day. Let's say you order out a lot, will you marry me spelled out with their favorite topping is sure to cause both laughter and happy tears. One of my close friends LOVES Ben and Jerry's so her now husband hid her ring inside of a half eaten carton, knowing she would open it after work, and when she did, she turned to find him on one knee ready to slip that slightly chocolatey ring onto her finger.
2. Get other people involved.
You aren't just marrying one person, you are marrying all of their family and friends. Why not get some of these people together to add an extra layer of surprise to the engagement? Call a few people up, and tell them your proposal game plan about a week before. I wouldn't recommend doing it any sooner because there is always that one person who can't lie or hide things and will ruin your surprise by accident. A fun away to get other people truly involved is to tell them when and where you will be proposing and have them recording or taking pictures from a distance. Then they can pop and you will have pictures of that special moment forever. Another fun thing to do is to organize a small engagement get together. Propose on a romantic walk before going out to your favorite place, and have everyone you love waiting there. Also by getting friends and family involved, you can make sure your plans are just right.
3. Walking into your new life together.
Even here in Chicago, there is so much natural beauty that can easily be used to make an everlasting proposal. Run to walmart and spend 2 dollars on side walk chalk, get lyrics to a few of “your songs” and the afternoon before you pop the question write the lyrics down a stretch of sidewalk and end with a will you marry me area. Be sure you put large enough gaps in between each lyric so you have time to get all of your feelings out before you reach the end. Let's say you live in a more woodsy area, get some ribbon and paper and tie those lyrics to the trees. Covered in snow, food coloring and a spray bottle can be your best friend. If you have a park by your place, go out at dusk and cover in cheap dollar store candles and call your lover over. They will be blown away by your romantic nature and never need to know it only cost a ring and $2.
4. Make them work for it
By this point you are probably so stressed out because you are really sure they will say “yes” but you just want to make everything perfect and you want to take them everywhere and it's all a bit overwhelming. Make them do the work and send them on a scavenger hunt. This works really well if you get one of their friends in on it, because that if they get lost there is someone who knows the path. Send them to their favorite place to eat, where you had your first kiss, where you had your first date, and end it where there future will be. Be sure to have the place's be within a reasonable distance from each other or else you may be waiting a long time and your lover may be a little travel frazzled by the time they get to you. This will cost you about 5 dollars and an hour to set up to create something that will be remembered forever
5. Movie Theater
This can be one of the easiest and most exciting proposals that no one will every forget. You can create a video of you and your loved one ending in you proposing and ask them to play it after the movie (they may charge you a bit extra for using the equipment but if you go in person and talk to the manager they might have a lovey dovey soft spot.). Or lets say you don't want to be on the big screen, call up a few of her friends and family and get them to come to the movie late (so its already dark in the theater) and have them sit separate from each other. During the credits spill your heart out and propose and before they know it they will be surrounded by the people they love during such a special moment for the price of 2 tickets and a bucket of popcorn.
Now in case you were noticing my lack of she's above, I believe it doesn't have to be the man who proposes in a relationship. I believe that when you know, you know and all it takes is finding the right time to make it officially a journey towards forever. I also think there are much more important things to be using money on when it comes to the wedding and why not save a little right from the start.
I'd take a marry me walk over a $50 steak any day.
And as always I don't claim to have the rights to the above pictures and they were found on the public domain. :)
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