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When I decided that I wanted to ask my longtime girlfriend to marry me, I was inspired by some of the creative wedding proposal ideas I had seen online and came up with a unique way to ask for her hand – by taking some cues from her favorite movie, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.

This took some careful planning and some magical execution from the staff at Walt Disney World in Florida – a place where, when you put their “service to the test,” they really deliver.

I popped the question at Disney’s Be Our Guest restaurant, and got the answer from my lady that I was hoping to get.

Getting back to the topic of creative ways to propose…

As you might imagine, a unique marriage proposal has to be carefully thought out and planned if it’s going to have the desired effect: prompting your loved one to answer your big question with a “Yes!”

To help you come up with a creative proposal idea of your own, here are 3 strategies that definitely helped me:

 

#1 – First, Check The Internet For Creative Proposal Ideas

Even if you know the one big thing that will make your proposal unique and romantic, you probably still need some help with all the details.

Watch marriage proposal videos online to get some creative ideas, and try to find little things from each of those videos that you can use when planning your own proposal.

Here are some really unique marriage proposal examples:

• Times Square New York City Flash Mob Proposal
• Chicago Bulls Cheerleader Surprised With Marriage Proposal
• Scavenger Hunt Proposal At Disney
• Over-The-Top Wedding Proposal At A Restaurant
• 50 Romantic Ways To Propose
• Downtown Disney Flash Mob Marriage Proposal

All of those proposals took a lot of careful thought and planning, because they involved people other than the couple and LOTS of precise coordination. You also want to keep the element of surprise alive when arranging for a way to get your future bride to the right place at the right time.

Here are some more unique proposal ideas to help you come up with a romantic proposal of your own:

• 50 Romantic Ways To Propose
• 13 Heartmelting Marriage Proposals
• Best Marriage Proposal Ideas To Steal
• 100 Unique Wedding Proposal Ideas
• 20 Incredible Outdoor Proposal Ideas

 

#2 – Plan Ahead: A Timeline To Help You Get Started

Planning ahead sounds like an obvious tip — yes.

But is it easy to do? Not necessarily.

Depending on the complexity of your one-of-a-kind proposal, you may need to start planning 6 months to 1 year ahead of when you hope to pop the question.

My proposal took a long time to plan, because the restaurant is extremely popular and reservations there are usually booked about 6 months in advance.

If your marriage proposal will involve clearance with municipal government officials like the police (as in the case of a sidewalk flash mob proposal) or require coordination with a sports franchise (like a 7th-inning proposal with JumboTron coverage, for example), be sure to get on the phone with the appropriate individuals as soon as you can.

Some things to think about:

• If you are reserving a restaurant or hotel room in a big city during a major holiday, call ahead at least 6 to 8 months in advance.
• If you need the assistance of a theme park, sports facility, TV show, music star, or another popular individual or organization, call and email at least 6 months prior. It could take several levels of “clearance” through public relations, safety departments, etc. to get an approval on the using their services for your unique proposal.
• If you would like flowers, plants, or animals (such as doves or swans) to be incorporated with your proposal, you should call at least 1 month in advance. Large floral arrangements, for example, can require a special order through a nursery, which could take extra time to coordinate.
• If you need the assistance of a skywriter or a similar service, you should call 2 to 3 months in advance, at a minimum, to ensure they are available. Remember, inclement weather may upset plans that involve the outdoors. Avoid disappointment by having a backup plan in place!

 

#3 – Ways To Keep The Proposal A Surprise

I think you’ll agree that what makes creative proposals especially wonderful is the element of surprise behind each of them. Of course, keeping the plans under wraps for days, weeks, or months can be more challenging than executing the proposal itself.

There are a few ways you might be able to help keep the proposal hush hush until the question is popped:

• Plan the proposal around a birthday, dating anniversary, or holiday. That way, any “suspicious” or “sneaky” behavior may be attributed to planning something related to a holiday event your loved one already knows is about to happen. Here are some ideas for planning a Christmas proposal.
• Have a wedding proposal service do the planning for you. A few discreet calls to Disney’s staff put much of the coordination of my proposal in the hands of the theme park’s florist, the restaurant’s manager, and our server. There are many proposal services available that can help you, too.
• Have a trusted friend help you arrange some of the details. If you have a good friend to bounce ideas off of, you might feel less pressure during the planning process and more confident with your ultimate decision. Sometimes, having the help of friends will be a necessity — like if you plan to involve a group of people in helping you pop the question, a point very essential in the case of flash mob proposals!
• Pop the question as part of a larger event. If you intend to propose during a holiday event, such as a birthday party at a restaurant or Valentine’s Day cruise, it will be much easier to get your loved one where he or she has to go with fewer excuses.

No matter what creative proposal ideas you may be tossing around in your head, remember that it’s OK – and perfectly normal – to be nervous before you pop the question. I most certainly was!

A marriage proposal is probably the biggest surprise you’ll ever pull off in your whole life, and you’re asking a question that will change two lives forever. But, with plenty of planning and crafty creativity, you have every reason to expect your unique proposal to go off without a hitch – and will conclude with a resounding “yes” uttered by the one you love.

 

Even More Creative Proposal Ideas

• Photo-Finish Roller Coaster Proposal
• Best Marriage Proposal Ideas On Pinterest
• How To Propose To Your Girlfriend… When She’s Expecting It!
• Man’s Guide To The Perfect Proposal
• How To Propose On Top Of The Empire State Building
• Woman’s Guide To Proposing To Your Boyfriend