Need Proposal Ideas! Got Any for me :)???

[find45di2]

So I am getting close to the date where I want to pop the question and need some creative ideas!

I think I am going to propose on my birthday. She will never expect it that day and I don''''t mind sharing some of the day with her anyhow. She will definitely be taking me out to a nice dinner that night so I was thinking that maybe I can get a restaurant to coordinate something for me. What do I want them to coordinate? I don''''t even have a clue I know a few restaurant owners indirectly so I am sure they will be willing to work with me on whatever I am hoping to do.

Anyone have any good restaurant proposal ideas up their sleeve? I am also close to NY/Manhattan so I could do something at night there as another option. But a local fancy restaurant sounds like a better plan to me.

I posted in the proposal thread but hardly anyone reads that, so sorry for posting here.

Let''''s hear some creative stuff I can do in a nice restaurant!!! Help me.

 

[strmrdr]

It is usually not a good idea to propose on a holiday(well except valentines).
A proposal anniversary would be celebrated just the 2 of you where a birthday would involve others and cause conflict, which are you going too celebrate?
Once your married a few years it wont matter as much because the wedding anniversary will be the one celebrated most likely.

 

[strmrdr]

now for suggestions:
is she a private type person or one who likes attention and groups?
For a private type person a public proposal isn''t a good idea.

 

[find45di2]

That makes sense about the birthday cross, but I guess I don''t mind too much. I figured the wedding date will be the real deal eventually anyhow.

She is definitely more of a reserved girl so she won''t want something on stage, but I think if it was something very suttle it would be fine. We will probably be dining in a very intimate and quiet restaurant so it would be a great setting.

Not thinking of lots of people looking, clapping, and music blaring. Instead I was thinking something very personal, and a way for them to help me in the process.

Can anyone think of a creative way to go about it in this fashion?

 

[stebbo]

I think a proposal should come from your heart and reflect your creativity, and be appropriate to her heart and her individuality. There are entire books on canned proposal ideas, but really, just spend a bit of time of thinking about it yourself and I''m sure you''ll come up with something more special than any person or any book could recommend.

 

[find45di2]

Date: 9/10/2007 3:01:28 AM
Author: stebbo
I think a proposal should come from your heart and reflect your creativity, and be appropriate to her heart and her individuality. There are entire books on canned proposal ideas, but really, just spend a bit of time of thinking about it yourself and I''m sure you''ll come up with something more special than any person or any book could recommend.

I figured someone would say this! jk

I am a very creative person and will definitely be coming up with something, but a creative mind always works better with ideas and options on the table......or, I''m just looking for the lazy man''s way to some ideas.

I''m still open to hearing some

 

[stebbo]

Date: 9/10/2007 3:22:16 AM
Author: find45di2

Date: 9/10/2007 3:01:28 AM

Author: stebbo

I think a proposal should come from your heart and reflect your creativity, and be appropriate to her heart and her individuality. There are entire books on canned proposal ideas, but really, just spend a bit of time of thinking about it yourself and I'm sure you'll come up with something more special than any person or any book could recommend.

I figured someone would say this! jk


I am a very creative person and will definitely be coming up with something, but a creative mind always works better with ideas and options on the table......or, I'm just looking for the lazy man's way to some ideas.


I'm still open to hearing some

How do you feel about the restaurant setting? That always feels too cliche and uncreative to me. I understand you don't want to arouse suspicion, hence disqualifying something too different like maybe a day trip out to the woods, but does the (possibly embarassing) surprise really add to the occasion (if you really think about it)?

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Excuse the cheese here for a minute, but what if you told her you had always wanted to go for a carriage ride in central park? I think your birthday is a good excuse for getting your way with a strange request. Then you could ask her while you''re on your ride...

 

[Ellen]

Date: 9/10/2007 2:29:32 AM
Author: strmrdr
It is usually not a good idea to propose on a holiday(well except valentines).
A proposal anniversary would be celebrated just the 2 of you where a birthday would involve others and cause conflict, which are you going too celebrate?
Once your married a few years it wont matter as much because the wedding anniversary will be the one celebrated most likely.

Do people really celebrate this?? I have no clue what day hubby proposed, although I know what month. I''ve never known anyone who did...

 

[stebbo]

Date: 9/10/2007 9:34:43 AM
Author: Ellen

Date: 9/10/2007 2:29:32 AM

Author: strmrdr

It is usually not a good idea to propose on a holiday(well except valentines).

A proposal anniversary would be celebrated just the 2 of you where a birthday would involve others and cause conflict, which are you going too celebrate?

Once your married a few years it wont matter as much because the wedding anniversary will be the one celebrated most likely.

Do people really celebrate this?? I have no clue what day hubby proposed, although I know what month. I''ve never known anyone who did...

Maybe only the people who never finally get married

 

[find45di2]

The reason why I am considering the restaurant setting is because it will be during the week, and everyone has to work bright and early the next morning. She takes me out to a superb dinner anywhere I choose so that will be the most "normal". Or, I can suggest heading into the city for an early night in NY.

Central park horse and carriage was always an idea but its been on just about every tv network a half dozen times and now feels the most cliche for me....

Guess I will just have to wing this one. I'm sure i'll come up with something.

 

[Pandora II]

We got engaged on xmas eve, so although we would 'celebrate' in the same way as a wedding anniversary it will still always be an extra-special day.

I would suggest reading through some of the old threads here - there are some fantastic ideas, from hollowed out books to remote-controlled boats on ponds.

Personally, and I don't mean to offend those who had one, I don't really like restaurant proposals. I would have been very disappointed if my FI had gone with that one. I mean, I'd still have been over the moon that he'd proposed, but I'd have a little sneaky thought that he could have come up with something that was more representative of him and us.

In the end he went with golden scrabble letters hidden in an advent calendar - and I got a beautiful limited edition wood and gold scrabble set as well! We're both boardgame fanatics so it was perfectly us.

 

[Elmorton]

I think it depends on the restaurant proposal. A friend of mine was proposed to in a restaurant in NYC (she was there on business and he surprised her by flying out, too) - they had a very private table and ate dinner really early or really late, I can''t remember, and during dessert, her husband simply began talking about how wonderful she is, how much he loved her, and then got down on one knee. No one was really around and the moment stayed relatively private. Her only complaint about her proposal was that it was so dark in the restaurant and she was so excited to see her ring!

But...I think the typical proposal in a restaurant can be less than romantic. While I would have gladly accepted the proposal in (almost) any form, I don''t think I''d want to pick my ring out of chocolate mousse or off a spring of asparagus or something. That seems a little passive agressive ("if you want this ring so badly then dig for it").

Is there anywhere in the city that is special to the two of you? Or just her? After or before dinner, maybe you could take a walk or you could need to "meet someone" or "run and errand" near a special location. My husband proposed to me during a picnic (we did this pretty often during the summer) on my university''s quad after I was done with a summer grad class. While it wasn''t the most elaborate proposal, his choices were very deliberate - the picnic spot he chose was right in front of the building where my parents met 35 years before. Choosing a symbolic, rather than extravagant, place might make it special for her.

Also, are you comfortable proposing in front of strangers? Before he proposed, I couldn''t understand why DH was getting so upset about the campus tours that kept walking by - he didn''t want to pledge his love in front of a bunch of gawkers.

About the birthday thing - really, I don''t think that''s problematic. There are some cute things you could say, too along that theme (something along the lines starting this year in your life knowing she''ll be your wife).

Best of luck!

 

[DM]

Well I am proposing this month myself, my GF loves friends (the show) and she has always wanted to go a rotating restaurant, where we live. So I got a hotel room next to the restaurant (attached actually) set up the proposal the way Monica proposed to Chandler, find a way in getting her there, propose in the hotel room and have dinner in the restaurant. You have to figure what you SO likes and tailor the porposal to that, by the way you should know her well enough by now.

 

[find45di2]

Great suggestions and confidence to dig deep and figure out what is truly going to be special. Ya see, I always told myself I wasn''t going to do something extravagant, do no real planning, but instead just choose a place where we always go in our home town that has some meaning to us, and do it. That might just be the best idea, under the moon light. Only problem with that is she then can''t call people and tell them the news till the next day.

I really need to put on my thinking cap!

 

[somethingshiny]

How about having the waiter bring out a covered tray with "will you marry me?" written in chocolate syrup? Or bringing out a bottle of champagne/wine, with the ring tied to it with a ribbon?

I remember all three times my husband proposed to me. The first is when I was seventeen. and he actually said "I want you to know that I intend on marrying you." Then, I got a ring and a proposal on Dec. 23. Then again, with my upgraded ring. (He actually asked me again, and when I said yes, he had vows written to me.)

I don''t think all women remember the proposal date. Numbers just stick with me, so do dates.

I think it''s wonderful that you''re putting in extra time and effort to surprise your to-be. After the proposal, you can bring her here and show her!

Please post ring pics!

 

[stebbo]

One of the funniest proposals I ever heard was the guy that took her fishing and when she wasn''t looking, swapped her line with one with a mock-up engagement ring on the end, made from a big brass ring with one of those glass gem-looking door knobs on it. (He was too chicken to put the real ring on!)

But I could imagine it wouldn''t have worked so well if she didn''t love fishing.

 

[treysar]

Ya know, i never really thougt about this - my proposal was totally public! I never really thogugt about it that way, i was so totally floored that until now, 3 years later, when I read this, i realized how very public it was!

We were in the hockey hall of fame in Toronto, and DH proposed right there, in front of the stanley cup, we were surrounded by people! LOL - i never thought about it, but I totally didn''t mind - i was just so happy that i was surprised and had no idea it was coming!

Here''s why i bring up the story. Hockey is what brought us together - we met on match.com and I decided to go out with him because he had tickets to a Devils game - turns out we were huge devils fans. That year the devils won the stanley cup, and he felt that it was karma that we should go to what brought us together - it was so thoughtful and so US, and that''s why I loved it!