16 of the Most Epic Proposal Shots We’ve Seen Lately
I’m going to let you all in on a little secret of mine: I’ve been married for nearly 5 years and with my guy for close to 13 years, and we’ve had a great run. One baby, one pup, lots of memories behind us and lots of life ahead of us. Our wedding was absolutely wonderful and our engagement was long (2+ years), but amazing, as well. It was just the proposal that wasn’t epic. I was pseudo expecting it, but a little surprised when it happened. My babe did a phenomenal job with the ring, he got nervous and a little choked up with his words, which was endearing and adorable, but overall, the vibe was suuuuper lowkey. When the weekend was over, I floated on Cloud 9 and couldn’t stop staring at the princess sparkler on my finger, but I can’t say that there wasn’t just a tiny part of me that wanted a bigger deal when it came to the actual ask.
And something tells me I’m not the only one who’s ever felt this way. This is why sites like How They Asked exist, why The Yes Girls are in business, and why proposal Insta feeds using some combination of ‘he/she said “YES”’ crop up every other day. Those who are already married can live vicariously through the kids (and I just say kids, because I’m a few months out from my 31st birthday and starting to feel my adulthood pretty hard HAHA) getting engaged these days, those who are coupled up and approaching that next step in their relationship can have something to aspire to, those who are still unattached, but looking, can have something to look forward to in the future, and everyone - regardless of relationship status - can scroll past these posts full of love and think “You know what? There really is still humanity and surprise and hope and happiness in the world. Let’s soak it in!”
In any case, since “engagement season” (which traditionally spans from Thanksgiving through Valentine’s Day) is nearly complete, we thought it’d be fun to round up some of our favorite proposal shots from our feed and beyond. These photos got SO many likes and for good reason: they’re absolutely amazing, you kind of have to catch your breath! Some were first shared with us via our hashtag #weddingchicks and others, we scouted ourselves, pulling from the best curated proposal pages, photographers, and proposal planners out there.
And since it IS still proposal season, we also wanted to relay a few of our own observations when it comes to conceptualizing the “epic” ask. It’s not always about a huge ring, it doesn’t always have to happen in a ring of fire - for real, some couples nail the ask on the edge of a volcano/geyser, but the overall mood should feel momentous and celebratory. These things can help whoever’s doing the asking get there…
Some sort of lights.
We love us some twinkle lights, especially when the proposal is happening outside, in the cold, when it’d otherwise be pitch black outside. Lanterns and candles work, too, just make sure whoever’s getting down on bended knee considers his/her surroundings and doesn’t put either of you in danger!
Some expertly-stealthy shutterbug.
That surprised look is EVERYTHING, and if the askee is in on any of it, it can kind of fall flat. So, we’d suggest doing some recon to scout out a photographer who is super skilled at being secretive 🤫 and slaying the shot(s) at the same time. If you’re the asker, use your stalking skills to find a local photographer (even a camera-savvy friend, if you have one) who’s done a lot of undercover proposal jobs before.
Some family waiting in the wings.
The best proposal shots are the ones where you can see family/friends in the background, clapping, whistling, tearing, being joyous in every way, at that moment where he or she finally says “YES!” and then turns around to see all his or her favorite people in the world there to cheer them on.
Of course, if you happen to already be doing something epic when the proposal is in progress, that’s the epitome of goals. #spartanracerad.
Scroll down for all of it! And if you’ve just gotten engaged and want to share your epic story with us, make sure to tag us #weddingchicks.
