These days, there's a lot more to popping the question than saying those four little words -- at least if you want your marriage proposal to go viral. Read on for 12 couples who took the whole "Will you marry me?" thing to the next level.
One man pulled off a proposal so romantic, it could make even the most hard-hearted person melt a little inside.
On October 9, 2014, Blake Bullinger surprised his girlfriend Carly Stene with a handmade jewelry armoire as a gift for their second anniversary. He filled the drawers with a bunch of her favorite things — a giant Rice Krispie Treat, granola bars, a pumpkin candle, brownie mix and Twix bars.
When she gets to the last drawer, Blake asks her to “dig around in there a little bit.” That’s when she finds the ring box.
For some guys, a low-key proposal on the beach or at the end of a fancy dinner would do just fine. But not for a romantic guy like Levy, who has been putting money into his proposal piggy bank since he was 12 years old.
When he popped the question to Tiffany — his long-distance girlfriend of more than three years — on October 14, 2014, videography company Candlelight Films was there to capture all the romance.
Levy spent 17 months planning a scavenger hunt proposal. And when we say he pulled out all the stops, we mean it. He got her parents and all of her best friends together for the occasion, which included manicures, a limo ride and a shopping trip for a special dress.
New Jersey couple Sam Maccarone and Jessica Burzichelli go way, way back — all the way to 5th grade.
With a history like that, Sam knew he needed to do something special when he finally popped the question to his longtime girlfriend. So in October 2014, he devised a plan with his filmmaker friend Dom Cucinotta and his musician cousin Matty Mac: tell Jess that they were looking for a couple to star in Matty’s new “music video.” She happily agreed, but little did she know what was actually in store.
Jon had proposed to his girlfriend of eight years, Vicky, more than once before, but she’d never been ready for marriage. In this video, Vicky — finally ready to tie the knot — pops the question to Jon with the help of family and friends. Little did she know he had a surprise of his own planned!
A hopeless romantic in Grimsby, England, asked his girlfriend to marry him 148 times over the course of six months, but she didn’t even notice.
Ray Smith discreetly placed a card reading “Will you marry me?“ in 148 photographs he took of and with his partner, Claire Bramley, from July to December in 2015. But she remained blissfully unaware.
Smith ended up playing Bramley a montage of all the images, which included family and friends also popping the question on his behalf, on Christmas Day in 2015.
Ohio firefighter Justin Deierling knows how to turn an ordinary, everyday moment into a magical one.
On March 19, 2014, Deierling popped the question to his girlfriend, Megan Zahorec, during a fire drill at Greentown School in North Canton, Ohio where she works as a counselor.
“I met Megan volunteering at the fire station,” he told The Huffington Post in an email. “We passed out water to kids in a walk-a-thon. I knew instantly that she was someone special by the way that she interacted with the kids. I wanted to incorporate how we met and the kids, who she adores, into the proposal.”
Talk about dedication! One seriously romantic guy named Dean Smith created a proposal video in which he popped the question to his girlfriend every day for an entire year.
It was January 2014 when Smith said he realized he wanted to be with his girlfriend Jennifer Kessel forever. So he came up with a sweet plan to show his devotion. For 365 consecutive days, he recorded a video of himself holding up a white board with a proposal message and the date, while going about various parts of his day — eating breakfast, working, hanging out with the dog, showering, brushing his teeth, etc.
Central Park just got a whole lot more romantic.
In a video posted to YouTube and Facebook in May 2013, New Yorker Carl Marucci proposed to his boyfriend, Drew Marsenison, in Central Park with the help of a flash mob to Christina Perri’s “A Thousand Years.”
Marucci wrote on YouTube that on May 11, 2013, he asked his mom to take Marsenison to Bethesda Fountain in Central Park. After they arrived, the flash mob broke out. Marucci joined Marsenison during the performance to watch; then, the dancers surrounded the couple and Marucci popped the question.
9. This Guy Drummed Up The Perfect Proposal For His Drum Major Girlfriend
This marching band marriage proposal hits all the right notes.
In a video posted to YouTube in November 2014, Jacksonville State University’s drum major Kara Mullinax got a big surprise when her boyfriend and former band member Nic Burgess popped the question to her during an alumni reunion performance in Jacksonville, Alabama.
In the middle of the cadence, the drums were turned around to reveal the words, “Kara, Marry me.” The look of surprise on her face says it all:
Elaborate proposals can be romantic and impressive, but there’s something sweet about keeping things simple.
One Chicago boyfriend named Rodney Nelson popped the question to his girlfriend Alexa Wenning with a customized flip-book hand-drawn by an artist called The Flippist.
This creative groom-to-be proposed to his boyfriend without saying a single word.
In a video posted to Vimeo in April 2013, Dave videotaped himself holding up signs explaining why he loves Michael — then, the couple’s friends and family (including their dog!) took turns holding up signs that tell the couple’s love story.
Of course, the video ends with Dave’s proposal.
Excuse me, Miss, but you might want to turn around. It seems that there is something kind of important going on behind you — you know, like your own marriage proposal.
When New Jersey man JP proposed to his girlfriend Jingy during a Jackson Hole, Wyo. snowboarding trip in February 2014, it’s safe to say he took her by surprise.