Make Your Wedding Proposal Your Own

New Year’s Eve in 2018 we decided to stay in. Just before midnight, I asked her to break open a piñata that I had hung on a pine tree in the backyard. She loved the idea and took a whack at it. Out flew a small, brightly colored fabric bag with a ring in it. I picked it up and got down on one knee. Right after she said yes, fireworks everywhere started going off. Perfect timing!

-ERIC AND ALICE

It was a Tuesday and my husband had arranged a date night for us. We went to Pono, and he said that after dinner we had tickets to a show downtown. We ate, and then went for coffee and dessert at Soif. Our show started at 9pm and he said it was at the Nickelodeon theater. We walked over and I saw a Hawaiian name on the billboard, and he told me it was a Hawaiian movie (hence going to Pono) and if I didn’t like it, no big deal and we could leave after the first few minutes. We got our tickets and went into the theater. We sat in the back and were the only ones there, which I didn’t think odd because it was a Tuesday, after all. The lights went down, and the previews started. After the second preview, something changed on the screen…a new movie started. It was a movie that my husband had made about his journey to find me. As it turns out, he had bought out the theater, so it was just us. The movie played, the lights went up, and he proposed. He had stashed snacks and comfy clothes in the front, and we spent the evening watching one of our favorite movies alone in our own theater. It turns out that the Hawaiian name of the movie on the billboard and tickets said, “will you marry me.” He chose a Hawaiian theme because it was his last state to visit, and one of my favorite places. The rest is history!

-JORDAN AND JOHN

Every couple — and every relationship — is different, so what works for one couple may not work for the next. For example, one person may love the idea of getting proposed to during a baseball game while another may really want to be proposed to during a concert. Take your partner’s personality into account and go above and beyond to plan a special moment the two of you will never forget.

We both LOVE to play Monopoly. So back in 2016 when I decided to propose, I got creative. I made a Chance Card just like the one with the diamond ring on it. I actually made it on the back of one so the paper would match. Only instead of the text that says pay the Luxury Tax I put in, “Will You Marry Me? I put it at the top of the Chance pile and hoped and prayed she would land on Chance. I figured if I got Chance first, I would figure out a way to grab the second one. Pretty far into the game, I landed on Chance. Oh no! But I did manage to switch them when she got up to get something out of the kitchen. This was a nail-biter! Further along, she FINALLY landed on Chance. She chose the card, read it, read it again, looked up at me and said, YES! That card is framed on the wall in our house. And, yes, we still play Monopoly!

-JASON AND LISA

Although we had many mutual friends, it wasn’t until a friend’s birthday party in April 2007 that we officially met. Since we had dated for such a long time, Brett knew exactly how to surprise me. He planned for my friends and me to go on a Wine Safari. I had always wanted to go and thought it would be a fun day trip. After introducing our group to the resident wildlife, the tour guide led everyone to a private overlook of the vineyards. When we got there, I found balloons and a handwritten letter from Brett. As I was reading the letter, he snuck out from his hiding spot and proposed! It was a perfect day!