30 Most Incredible Marriage Proposal Stories Of All Time
"I lost my balance and we both fell on the floor. Then he asked and gave me the ring."
LL_studio / Shutterstock While it's fair to say that no one will ever forget that moment their partner asked them to get married, some marriage proposal stories are really next level. And we're totally here for it! Because everyone enjoys a good love story.
The best proposals take you by surprise and also capture what you really love, be it a special place, day, or even a favorite meal. These encompass all of those, but with some incredibly unique ideas, we never saw coming!
30 Most Incredible Marriage Proposal Stories Of All Time
1. Over breakfast
“I love breakfast and love it when he cooks for me. But before I run, I don’t eat it. I was training for London (marathon) and about to go off on a run, and he offered to make me a breakfast sandwich. I laughed and explained the eating before running. On my last mile, through Battersea Park, I could see him on a bench. Why on earth would he be in the park? He asked me if I was hungry. Annoyed I said, 'You know I can’t eat, I’ll be back soon,' and then, there it was: a sausage egg and cheese on a muffin. And a ring.”
2. A baseball game
"We were (and are) both baseball fans, so I wanted to propose to her with something related to a ball game. Ultimately, I picked a minor league game in Northern Virginia that had fireworks after the game. The marketing folks there hooked us up with field-side seats and she was a 'Fan of the Game', so when the time came they called her name and invited her onto the field — and I followed. She told me to sit down. Needless to say, I ignored her, proposed in front of a few thousand people, and then spent the rest of the game with people coming up demanding to see her ring. I suppose that's fair since we invited them into our proposal, but it was funny to have random people walking up to us and grabbing her hand."
3. During a homerun
"My husband proposed at Yankee Stadium during a Red Sox game (the Yankees won). We have it on video. Some people aren't fans of stadium proposals, but it was a dream come true for me."
4. After we both fell to the floor
"I walked in from work and was doing stuff and he kept trying to get my attention. Finally, he stood in front of me and grabbed both my hands which caught me by surprise. I lost my balance and fell on him, and we both fell to the floor. Then he asked and gave me the ring."
5. A beautiful waterfront walk
"We had been doing long-distance between NYC and DC for several years. Monthly, we would take Megabus back and forth to see each other. When she was visiting NYC, I planned a date in Brooklyn along the waterfront. While walking, all of a sudden, I propose (she says yes, phew!), and around the corner comes a Megabus with their friends and family, ready to go celebrate!"
6. Times Square billboard
"My dad rented a billboard in Times Square to propose to my mom in the 70s. They were driving in the city and he said "Look up!' They met at college freshman orientation at Syracuse University and never broke up."
7. Romance inflight
"My husband proposed to me on a flight from Miami to Buenos Aires! When I landed, his whole family was waiting for his new fiancé! We had Quilmes and Coffee with my ring on right after he proposed on the plane."
8. At the airport
"My husband surprised me in the airport after I yelled at him before my flight that he better not make me wait for him in an unknown airport parking lot. When I got off the plane at Tampa Airport, he was holding a sign and some flowers and I thought he was making fun of me for telling him to get out of the car for once. I noticed him pointing and I saw an airport employee filming us. When I looked above at the digital airport sign, employees held the sign that said 'Michelle, Will You Marry Me?' I finally said yes (and he put the ring on the wrong hand)!"
9. At a mine
"My husband proposed to me at the Herkimer Ace of Diamonds mine in upstate NY, a place you can actively dig for quartz crystals!"
10. I ruined the surprise!
"Evan proposed to me on a rooftop in Morocco. It was our first night of vacation and we were exhausted, but the jetlag kept us up. Anyway, it was chilly, so I grabbed his hoodie, but it wouldn't zip because there was something bulging in the pocket. So I pulled out the ring box and kept asking what it was. And he said I knew what it was. So I scooted it across the table and said, 'I'm not proposing to myself.' He laughed, took the ring out of the box, and then said, 'I'd like you to be my wife.' After asking 'Are you sure?' a million times, I finally said yes. Apparently, he had this entire plan to get on one knee, but I messed it all up by asking to try on his hoodie since I was cold."
11. At the top of a canyon
"My husband proposed to me at the top of Devil’s Staircase in Teton Canyon overlooking the Grand and Middle Tetons. The view was stunning, but the hike to get there was brutal."
12. In Rockefeller Center
"At Rockefeller Center during Christmas, my family planned to go see the tree. I had just found out I was pregnant. I was grumpy because we took the subway and I thought we were driving. Jose proposes, shaking from being so nervous, and security calls everyone’s attention. I say yes and start crying. A few seconds later, I go running and throw up over the guardrail."
13. Underwater, of all places
"I agreed to do Seaventure, the underwater walking tour at discovery cove. It's like scuba diving without the equipment. I'm not good underwater but I figured why not. I knew my fiancé had the ring but didn't think he'd ever propose in Florida because we wouldn't really be alone. The day at discovery cove, I saw the helmet for Seaventure, put it on, immediately became claustrophobic, and said 'I'm not doing this!' Little did I know, everyone behind the scenes was freaking out because they do proposals there... with both Seaventure and the dolphin swim!
They started without me and his mom was convincing me to go down. Finally, she said there was a surprise for Bryan and Kevin (his brother) with feeding some sea animals, and I had to see it. At that point, something clicked in my head and I needed to get the guts and go down there. Two tries later of climbing down the ladder, I'm like 8 feet underwater holding onto the ladder with 1 hand, and the helmet with the other hand as my fiancé proposes. I almost really ruined it!"
14. While skiing
"My husband proposed on the snowy mountain in Teton Village in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, right in front of the famous Jackson Hole Aerial Tram. We live in South Florida and were there on the second day of a ski vacation (intentionally the day before Valentine’s Day!)."
15. During a starlit night
"I made my proposal so unromantic. My husband proposed on a beautiful empty dock under a sky full of stars. He said to me, 'Did you know you can see the stars better if you shine a flashlight on them? You can make them sparkle more.' And I'm like, 'No that's not true at all.' And he says, 'Really! Look!' And there he is holding up a ring and shining his phone light at it, but there I am on my phone Googling this fact as I tell him, 'No that's definitely incorrect. I'll show you.' He had to actually say, 'Emily, seriously, just look up for a second' because I was so dead set on proving him wrong. And that was when I realized he was proposing. Funny story but I felt so bad!"
16. While camping
"My husband proposed on a camping trip (which is already hilarious because I'm the least outdoorsy person on earth). We were heading back to the tent from a big bonfire, and I'd had a few cookies that were... special. So my head wasn't entirely on straight, and after he proposed I told him I was afraid I was going to forget details and made him do it again. There had been torrential downpours earlier and I made the poor guy kneel on the muddy ground TWICE!"
17. At Thanksgiving dinner
"My hubby proposed on Thanksgiving. Which is a BIG deal in our house. The year before, my mom said he couldn’t come back unless he had a ring, so he did. We do 'what are you thankful for?' at the end of the meal. It’s always very emotional. My mom was so impatient because she knew what was about to happen. I was clueless. And messed it up because he was supposed to be last! And my talkative self jumped in. But then it was his turn. And he said, 'Well, I always want to come back.' And in front of 45 people, he proposed."
18. Scavenger hunt
"My now-husband took me on a scavenger hunt that started in Chicago, involved a mixtape with songs, and ended up with a midnight proposal (with an aluminum foil ring, because my ring wasn't ready) at the Canadian Embassy in Washington D.C. We wanted to call family and friends, but the city had lost power, so we ended up putting quarters in a pay phone in the hotel lobby and calling collect."
19. At the zoo
"My fiancé proposed to me in front of the elephant exhibit at the San Diego Zoo. They are my favorite animals ever, and I was totally taken aback and by surprise as I thought we were going to San Diego for the weekend to meet up with his parents who were celebrating their 46th wedding anniversary. They flew across the country, and we drove down and made our way over to the zoo. This was back in December so it was decorated for the holidays and I was even wearing a Santa hat. I tried to get us to go the sensible route to first see giraffes and other animals, but my future in-laws and fiancé were adamant we see the elephants. Good thing I listened to them as they soon went to eat and moved elsewhere after the proposal. It was unique, touching, fun and unexpected. Talk about a happy holiday!"
20. With a cartoon
"My (now) husband is a journalist and cartoonist on the side as a hobby. He proposed by drawing me a cartoon of him and a clock, with hands looking as though they were going around continuously, with the caption 'Whaddaya say?' While it may not be the most romantic, it was very cute. Obviously, I said yes."
21. Candy
"Before our first date I mentioned to my future husband that I love gummy candy, so he brought me a Chinese takeout container of them on our first date (a cute candy store nearby packaged them this way). To propose, he gave me the same takeout box full of gummy candy, and the ring box was inside. Then we went to dinner at the restaurant he took me to on our first date and all our friends were there waiting. I should note that was the first and last time he ever planned a big party."
22. Parking tickets
"Michael, my then-boyfriend, got in the driver’s seat and started heading towards an unknown location. He’d been taking me all around LA, revisiting the scenes of our first few dates. As it turns out, he took us to the street in front of the home of a certain character actor where we had first met. Sensing a proposal was impending, and not to be outdone, I ran back to the car, scribbled 'Marry me?' on an old parking ticket, and stuck it under the windshield wiper. Michael was none the wiser. I had been carrying an engagement ring in my pocket for weeks, just in case!
On the steps of the home where we first met, Michael got down on one knee and asked me to spend the rest of our lives together. I, of course, said yes. 'What the hell?! We’ve been here ten minutes!' Michael saw the parking ticket on the car windshield and instantly took to examining the street signs, looking for an explanation. He opened the ticket and saw what was written inside. I got down on one knee. Just like that, within ten minutes, the two of us had asked one another to spend their lives together. Not how either of us had planned it, but what’s a Los Angeles romance without a few parking tickets along the way?"
23. Ice cream
"My fiancé proposed to me with homemade ice cream! I’m a dietitian and a recipe developer, so I'm really into food. So, he surprised me one night with four types of ice cream he’d made by hand, all with romantic food pun titles written on note cards. The last one was an avocado ice cream. On the note card that went with this, my fiancé wrote, 'Say AvocaDO. But more importantly, say yes to the next question.' Then he asked me to marry him and played one of my favorite songs (a Scottish rendition of “Rhythm of My Heart”)."
24. Fishing
"My (now) wife and I love to go fishing wherever we travel, if possible. I had a work trip in the Keys, so she planned a fishing charter with a captain for when we were there. Little did I know she had been planning a lot more with the captain! Long story short, the captain threw out a line when I wasn’t looking and I reeled in a lure that was custom painted and said, 'will you marry me?' and 'who caught who?' on the other side. I was so confused and freaking out, and I turned around and she had the ring in her hand! Some of my family and closest friends were back at the hotel when we returned."
25. Swimming
"My husband proposed to me while we were swimming in the French Riviera in St. Tropez. Somehow he managed to not lose the ring in the Ocean, which is always the first question people ask. We went to high school together but were only friends until our early 30s when we started dating."
26. Baseball memorabilia
"My husband and I met in high school, and while I always had a crush on him, we never dated. Junior year, a group of our mutual friends were going to prom together. To my surprise, at one of his baseball games, he asked me to prom by writing on a baseball. Still, we went just as friends. After high school, we lost touch. After college, and three years in Las Vegas, I moved back to our hometown when we reconnected and began dating.
Two years after dating, my husband proposed almost exactly 10 years after we went to prom together. He met me downtown where I was working and we went out for what I thought was a Friday night dinner. Afterward, he insisted we walk down by the river back to his car. The route led to the location of our first date, Sawyer Park. As we walked through the park, he tossed me a baseball, much like he had 10 years earlier. We now have both baseballs on display in our home."
27. Dinosaurs
"Pilaar and I reconnected after a five-year hiatus in Spring 2018. We only dated for less than a year when I proposed. But it felt like the separation and intermediate relationships brought us back to each other and helped us grow. When I was a kid, my mom would take (family) road trips through the Coachella Valley. I would admire the windmills, rock formations, and, of course, Dinny and Mr. Rex. So, when Pilaar invited me to Thanksgiving in Palm Springs, my mind immediately went back to those road trips and the Cabazon Dinosaurs.
For weeks, I planted the seed:
'I haven't seen the dinosaurs in so long.'
'Can we stop by on the way over?'
'Come on, it'll be fun.'
Pilaar and I had discussed marriage prior to this trip. She mentioned how she didn't want to be asked in front of a bunch of people. She guessed about a timeline. She also showed me a ring she really admired. One way outside of my budget. But once I knew that my friend, a jeweler, could make at a much lower cost. With the ring in my overnight bag, we set off.
'Can we stop at the dinosaurs on the way?'
'Of course.'
When we arrived at the truck stop, there were very few people in the lot. But it was windy. Windy enough for me to grab my jacket... and the ring. We walked over to Rex to take a few selfies. About 50 feet away, a dad, with his small family asked if we wanted him to take a photo. I met him about halfway.
'Hey, man. I'm about to ask the question.'
'Okay,' he replied.
'No. I have this ring in my pocket.'
'Yeah.'
The result? One of the happiest days of my life. And it may come as no surprise, but we plan to use the 'Jurassic Park' theme song as one of our processionals!"
28. At a waterfall
"My husband proposed at the waterfall at the Nevele Hotel in the Catskills. We climbed on the rocks and he gave me a poem written by a poet I liked. The poem was called 'A Marriage of Two Hearts' Needless to say, I said yes. We are married for almost 32 years."
29. With help from the dog
"My daughter recently got engaged. Her fiancé put the ring box around the dog’s neck and sent the dog to find Hayley. Hayley was confused (as she didn’t have her glasses on). Once she realized what was going on, Frank got down on one knee while Milo, the dog, jumped on Hayley. It was a beautiful proposal. The wedding is in March 2020."
30. Kissing Bridge
"My husband proposed to me on the Kissing Bridge at Wittenberg University in Ohio because that’s where I ran PR when we began dating, and he heard me tell the story because I secured media placements in February during Valentine's Day week. Points because A) That was very early in our courtship and he clearly paid attention, and B) It was very romantic and meaningful because many of our dates were on campus because it was a halfway point from where we each lived. The legend is that if a student kissed someone on that bridge, in the graduation grove, they will end up marrying them!"
Aly Walansky is a NY-based lifestyles writer who focuses on health, wellness, and relationships. Her work appears in dozens of digital and print publications regularly. Visit her on Twitter.