We’ve already covered the best and most unique proposal ideas, but that doesn’t mean that your proposal won’t be special if you use a different approach. Your partner will more than likely be ecstatic that you have finally popped the question with a blindingly sparkly engagement ring, so relax! (Click here for a refresher on all things engagement ring if you’ve yet to make that all-important purchase and are still a little bit overwhelmed with the process and terminology. Don’t worry – we’re here for you!). But you should also definitely steer-clear of these awful proposal ideas that may just push her to say no!
The Worst Proposal Ideas
Being in the industry, we hear our fair share of horror stories of bad proposal ideas alongside the magical, fairy-tale proposals. So we know a thing or two about the no-nos. And you really have to be aware of just how important and significant a proposal is. Sometimes, they’re so bad that no ring – regardless of how dazzling – is enough to help you recover from the unfortunate incident.
We’re going to run you through some of the wedding proposal ideas which had us shaking our heads in despair so you avoid the same mistakes. You have been warned!
In the ocean
Just no. How anyone thought this would be a good idea is beyond us. Most engaged ladies tend to remove their engagement rings altogether when going to the beach or swimming pool to avoid it getting ruined or, worse still, getting lost, so we can’t imagine they would want to receive their sparkly diamond for the first time in such a hazardous environment.
We do sort of see where the idea has come from, though. You leave your troubles behind and jet off to an exotic location, and the warm summer breeze and the radiance of your girlfriend sort of gets the better of you and you’re in the moment. But there are so many variables to consider, and the negatives always outweigh the positives.
Where do you plan on storing the ring box while you head into the ocean? Will you try and find a shallow bit of water and go down on one knee? How can you be certain that a wave isn’t going to come and spoil your precious moment?
Waves are unpredictable, and they certainly don’t care whether you’ve waited your whole life for this moment; nor do they care that one slip up could result in a ring worth thousands of dollars being lost forever. Please, for the love of all that is good and holy, do not propose in the ocean.
Hiding the ring in her food or drink
Seriously? We can’t believe anyone ever thought this was a good idea. We don’t know about you or your girlfriend, but our first thoughts when a delicious plate of food comes our way is to devour it as quickly (but elegantly – we’re still ladies after all) as possible. If she’s a foodie and you want to incorporate the proposal with something she loves, we can sort of see why this idea came into your head, but it has seldom gone according to plan.
In this modern-day, we appreciate that taking pictures of an untouched plate of artistically presented food for social media is part of dining etiquette, so she may get to see something sparkling on her plate before tucking in. But, akin to the ocean idea above, there are so many things that could go wrong so it isn’t worth the risk.
The waiters could be having a long day and accidentally mix the plates around, the ring could move around in the food and get lost, the ring could get damaged with cutlery, her tooth could get seriously cracked on the diamond, she could, we don’t know, choke to death! We’re breaking out in a cold sweat thinking about the potential damage. Don’t do it!
And it goes without saying, but don’t put it in her drink either. This 80’s movie proposal idea is such a cliche, and, quite frankly, such a risky thing to do. Who realistically scans their cocktail thoroughly before taking a big sip? Avoid the trip to the emergency room and nix both of these ideas immediately.
At a fast-food joint
Oh, I’d love to be proposed to in a fast food joint… said no woman ever! We can’t believe that men have actually considered proposing to their girlfriends in greasy fast food joints. We have nothing against fast-food chains – in fact, we could actually go for a juicy cheeseburger right this very second – but there are a time and a place, people! Fast-food and romance will never add up to a good proposal idea.
If you honestly thought that this was the best engagement proposal idea ever, then we’re seriously struggling to think of how you managed to get a girlfriend in the first place. We’ve bizarrely heard this idea more than once, and we (and the engaged couple!) are glad we stepped in before it was too late.
This proposal idea needs to be eliminated into extinction. But in a few cases, the proposal actually went ahead; and let us tell you, the results were not good. Let’s just leave it at that.
At a sports match
You might think you’ve won the girlfriend lottery by having a partner who loves sports almost as much as you do, but that doesn’t mean that you should pop the question at a sports match. Football, basketball, baseball, it doesn’t matter, because everything gets a big thumbs down. And let us tell you why.
We bet you thought that asking her to marry you on the big screen would be a darling way to pop the question right? Wrong! Popping the question at a sports match is regarded as one of the tackiest and most impersonal ways to ask your girlfriend to spend the rest of her life with you – and not just because it involves hundreds of thousands of other people as well. Talk about spoiling the moment!
Additionally, if your girlfriend really has no idea about the proposal, she probably isn’t going to be wearing her fanciest attire – so she’s not going to be happy with you for blasting her face and hair which is most probably tied up or under a baseball cap on the big screen for the whole world to see.
And more often than not, her fingers will probably be a bit greasy from the messy (albeit delicious) game food. We’ve not ended up with sauce or cheese on our hands when tucking into some mid-game nachos – and we know we aren’t the only ones.
On Valentine’s Day
This is probably the least offensive method on the list, but it’s by no means a good way to propose. Let us break it down for you.
First of all – proposing on Valentine’s Day, especially in a busy restaurant full of loved-up couples (one would assume) is going to pile on the pressure even more, just because of the audience. All eyes will be on you – the disgruntled girlfriends sat on the neighbouring tables, as well as the disapproving boyfriends who will be hearing about your romantic gesture the whole way home. You’ll be violating the bro code and getting the rest of the men into serious trouble. And do you really want that on your conscience?
Second of all – there are over 360 days in the year, so do you really need to do it on Valentine’s Day? February 14th is already a very romantic day, one which you’ll be celebrating for the rest of your lives if all goes to plan, so why spoil it? Why not choose another day so you have yet another reason to celebrate your love? And if you’re planning on popping the question on Valentine’s Day simply to cut down on present-buying, we really don’t think your girlfriend is going to see it that way… sorry to break it to you!
Conclusion
You should always try your best to make your proposal as special as possible. You can always check blogs for inspiration. But something different doesn’t always result in something great. You need to make sure that you do not fall into the trap of trying too many out-of-the-box proposal ideas, that you may just end up doing a cringe-worthy one.
Do you know anyone who has been proposed in any of these ways? Do you have any worse proposal ideas to share? Leave us a comment with your stories! We’d love to know!
