Proposing to your partner is not an Indian concept. However, as we are embracing the western wind and making a place for love marriages, there is a need to get creative with our way of asking the big question. So, now that you have a green signal from both the families and a concrete intention to get married to your significant other, you would need some help in deciding how to pop the question. And so you have got it. Here are 18 unique, creative and awesome out-of-the-box ideas to propose to your significant other.
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1. Inside a photobooth
An adorable and creative way of asking someone to marry you is inside a photo booth. Thankfully, even with the advance of the internet and social media, this idea remains widely unpopular. So, there is a very low possibility of your significant other guessing that you are going to pop the question. This makes for a perfect situation. Since the photo booth facility is not widespread in India even now, the only place you can do this is at the malls.
You can casually lead your partner into the photo booth and just when you are in the middle of the pictures, you can take out the ring and ask them to marry you. And one of the great things about this idea is that you will get automatic, candid, in-the-moment photos of your engagement for your book of memories (if you ever make one). So, the cameraman who?
2. Through their favourite book
I am not very enthusiastic about the idea of cutting a hollow space in a book to propose someone for marriage. Because doing that is criminal. So, don’t! If you search for book proposals, you will find many people using their partner’s favourite book to pop the question. But it is not as appealing to someone who truly loves books. Instead, try this. Take a string and tie the ring to it. Then, place it as a bookmark in the centre of the book. So, when your significant other would open the book, they would see the ring dangling from the top in the middle of the pages — a great way to propose without damaging a book.
But if you really want to propose your significant other using the hollow book technique, there is an alternative that works just as well as the actual method. Get the cover of your partner’s favourite book printed. Take a box of the same size as the print and paste the cover on it in a way that it looks like a book. Lastly, cut the box vertically from the centre. This where you would place the ring. It works just like intended without ruining a book.
3. In a planetarium
A planetarium is probably one of the most underrated romantic places. Thanks to La La Land, people are now beginning to see the romance of planetariums. And they are a great place to ask your partner to marry you, too. If you don’t mind sparing some money and are willing to go all in, book an entire planetarium for you and your partner. Then, seek the help of the in-charge of the planetarium to display the big question on the screen above. Catch your significant other off-guard by popping the question in the middle of the show. You are sure to love it as much as they would.
4. With a scratch card
I love the thought of making someone work for their surprise. It increases their expectations even when they don’t expect it. Weird, isn’t it?
Many websites make customised scratch cards. And there are a few people who have used this facility to their advantage. That’s right! They used it to ask their partners to marry them. But who would expect a marriage proposal on a scratch card? Nobody. And that is your cue! Get a custom-made scratch card and ask your partner to try their luck with it. They are bound to be surprised when the question would unexpectedly appear on the scratch card.
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5. Through a fortune cookie
I loved the idea when I saw Chris Pratt propose to Anne Hathaway with a fortune cookie in the movie, Bride Wars. It was very thoughtful. It showed the effort that had gone into getting a customised fortune made. Especially, for asking your partner to marry you. For this, you can either find someone who makes the fortune cookies or — all to make one yourself. (If you wish to make it more personal) The latter would be more time-consuming but does it really matter? Then, hand them the fortune cookie containing the question. You can do this when you are alone, with your family, or even at a house party among your friends. Because it is not too lovey-dovey, but it is not too casual either. It is just perfect!
6. At the end of a photo book
Photographs are the greatest souvenirs of memories. And we are obsessed with them. Therefore, it is no wonder that we have better cameras and more storage spaces in our phones every day. But even so, nothing beats the charm of the physical copies of photos. Get a photo book from any bookstore and paste pictures of your special moments together. Leave the last page blank. On the day you decide to ask the question, hand your partner the photo book. When they get to the last page, pop the question. Take your first engagement picture and paste it at the end of the book on the last page, indicating the completion of the circle of your relationship.
7. A message in the gifting chocolate box
The easiest way to propose your significant other to marry you is through the gifting chocolate boxes. They are very easy to find. In fact, you can approach your local cake or chocolate shop to get a customised gifting chocolate box, as well. But the best way to do it is by making the chocolates yourself. Make 15 pieces of chocolates and write the words ‘Will you marry me?’ on them, one letter each plus the question mark. Gift the box to your partner so when they open the box, they would be greeted with the big life-changing question when they would least expect it.
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8. Play your message in the theatre
What if you could see your entire relationship flashing in front of you? That would be incredible. Wouldn’t it? Well, it can’t happen for you unless your partner stumbles upon this article. But you can do that for your partner when asking them to marry you. If you don’t mind spending or have contacts, get an entire theatre booked for yourself. Then, in between the trailers, ask the theatre people to show a video of the timeline of your relationship. Finally, pop the question at the end of the video. It does not get more personal than this, mon ami.
9. Create a moving picture book
Remember how emotional we all got when Ram showed a moving picture book to Ishan’s family that he made for them in Taare Zameen Par? Yes, that is the level of emotional reaction I am talking about.
Make a moving picture book of how you came together and got engaged. Here, instead of actually asking the question, you can depict it in pictorial form. You can then present the ring and ask your significant other to marry you. Phew! (Chills. Literal chills).
10. Write it on a telescope’s lens
Do you occasionally gaze at the stars? Are you both fond of the cosmo? Then this is definitely something that you should give a try. Buy a telescope for your significant other as a surprise the day you are going to ask them to marry you. But get the lens imprinted with the words ‘will you marry me?’ instead of asking it directly. When your partner would try to see through the lens, they would be greeted with the unexpected question. And the best about it would be that it is through something that they like so they can keep the telescope as a souvenir of the engagement for themselves.
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11. Build the message using Lego
The one thing that you should remember when popping the question is that it should always be personal and through something that your partner loves. So, if your significant other is fond of Lego, this would be the perfect proposal idea for you. Firstly, you would need to buy several boxes of Lego to go through with this idea. And just so you know, they are costly. At least the original ones are. But since we live in India, it is very easy to find duplicate Lego in any toy shop. They are extremely cheap and would do the trick just as well.
Secondly, you would need to dedicate some space, maybe a room that your partner can’t or does not access. And lastly, you would have to take out time from your schedule to literally build the question using the Lego, which can take a lot of your time. But it would be worth it!
12. Dance in a flash mob
I got this idea from this film I watched a while back called Friends with Benefits starring Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake. Personally, I think this is a great way to propose to your significant other. So let us get to it.
The first thing you need to do to achieve this is to find a place where you can carry out the proposal. And since it is challenging to find empty spaces in India, you can choose a quiet park or book an event hall for this. Then, you would have to find a group of dancers who would be willing to do a dance routine around your significant other. And then, when the music stops, you can go down on one knee and pop the question. Romantic, isn’t it?
It is okay if you can’t find professional dancers. You can always have your friends and family help you out with the proposal. That would make it more personal, too.
13. At the bottom of their coffee mug
Calling in all the coffee lovers for this out-of-the-box proposal idea. This one requires a bit of work but what is a proposal if it does not grind you a little? For this proposal idea, you would need to buy a mug and get the inner bottom of it imprinted with your question. You can choose the morning time to pop the question because then you can offer coffee and breakfast to your significant other without any suspicion. And when your partner would get at the bottom of the mug after finishing their coffee, they would be greeted with those four magical words when they would least expect it.
14. At your usual jogger’s park
Even in a million years, you would not expect to get asked to marry someone while you are sweating and having your blood rush to your head. All that in a tracksuit. Well, if you would not, what makes you think your partner would? And that is indeed why this is such a great and unique way to propose your significant other. Moreover, it would also work as a great metaphor.
You see, people (especially women) always feel that they are required to be good looking or presentable at least when they meet a suitor because it would create a positive impression on them. However, imagine the joy it would give to your partner if you show your significant other that you accept them in sweat and tracksuit, without any judgements. You can show them they don’t have to do anything to cast an impression on you because you love them just the way they are. And that is the best kind of love that there is.
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15. Hide the ring in a pop-up book
I don’t know about other adults but I sure as heck am a huge admirer of pop-up books, mainly because of the creativity and the effort that go into their making. However, if you or your partner love pop-up books, too, you can take this as an opportunity to have your proposal revolve around it. You can buy a pop-up book for your partner (perhaps their favourite one) and hide a ring in such a way that it would not be the first thing to pop-up. This would keep things unexpected. For example, in the above image, you may stick the ring with double-sided tape on the butterfly that is on top of the flower. So, when your partner reaches the middle page, which generally has the biggest pop-up, they would be greeted with a beautiful ring and a question that would change their life.
16. Change your contact name on their phone
What could be more surprising than seeing a different contact name above your partner’s number on your phone? When I was looking for unique proposal ideas, I came across a man who had proposed to his girlfriend through her phone. And I loved the creativity of it because it was so simple, cost-effective and unexpected and yet no one had done it before. We cannot deny the fact that proposals tend to leave a dent in your wallet. Maybe not a big one, but still a dent. So, if you want to make the best out of the limited resources that you have, this proposal idea is perhaps one of the most feasible options.
Simply edit your contact name in your partner’s phone and change it to the words ‘will you marry me?’ Your partner knows your number obviously, and the moment these words would flash on their screen, it would instantly make them happy. Isn’t that creative and smart at the same time?
17. Make the pilot pop the question
When it comes to wedding proposals, it is essential that you make it as unexpected as possible, even if you have talked about its possibility of happening shortly. So, what better way to pop the questions in a flight? In fact, to make it more unexpected, request the pilot to pop the question for you. They take such requests and help you make your proposal even more special. If you are travelling for a long distance, you might even ask the flight attendants to arrange for champagne. Imagine how wonderful it would be to get engaged in the air and celebrate the alliance with a great vacation.
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18. Put it on the scrabble board
If you are one of those cool couples, who play Scrabble regularly, neither one of you would be expecting a proposal on it. And that is what makes it one of the best unusual proposal ideas. But you have to be tactical with it. You can either play in such a way that you create the words ‘Will you marry me?’ on the board, or you can make the words all in one go right in front of your partner. In any case, an ordinary Scrabble game can be turned into an incredibly romantic moment filled with joy and maybe some mushiness in the least expected manner.