Grab your tissues and make sure your mascara is waterproof because these love-filled proposals will melt even the coldest winter hearts.
Narrowing our favourite proposals down to just 20 was a near-impossible task, with enough love stories bringing us to tears that we may have single-handedly sustained the Kleenex industry for the year. While every single love story is unique, these 20 proposals had us swooning from start to finish. These couples have shared everything from how they first met to sharing how they knew their partner was “the one,” as well as the details behind secretly planning the perfect proposal. Put the Hallmark Christmas movies away – these love stories are the real deal!
Kate & Sarah in Paris
When Kate and Sarah were traveling through the most romantic city on earth, Kate knew that Paris was the perfect place to propose to her girlfriend. Kate reached out to Flytographer to help plan and capture this beautiful, once-in-a-lifetime moment at Trocadero. We love love, and the opportunity to document all kinds of unique love stories across the globe has us swooning daily. As Ellen so beautifully said, “Everybody deserves love. That’s all, that’s the most important thing. It’s all that matters in this life, is love.”
Read the whole story here: This Couple’s Proposal Featured on Ellen Will Make You Cry
Alexander & Ashley in Seville
We met via an online dating app 4.5 years ago and have been inseparable ever since. Ashley was interning for the summer in my hometown and I was getting ready to move to Boston to start my PhD. Our first date involved pizza and hours of conversation. With only a few weeks left in the same city, we made the most of every moment getting to know each other before we went our separate ways. After a few weeks apart, we decided to go the distance, literally and figuratively, and make our relationship work. We spent 2.5 years living anywhere from 300 to 3000 miles apart, strengthening our relationship and love for each other.
The Big Day: I had to improvise a bit because we were supposed to propose at the beginning of the shoot at a particular location but there were tons of people in our location. The photographer helped out a lot and ventured to other locations first before finally capturing the moment. I gave a short monologue on a beautiful bridge in the Plaza de España and her reaction was perfect. She got so emotional and the pictures captured everything perfectly. It’s a moment I will never forget and get to relive with the pictures forever.
Benedict & Uju in Paris
We met on Instagram when my beautiful fiancée randomly followed me and I said “Hey, this girl is too beautiful for me not to take my shot.” So I did and here we are almost three years later, engaged!
The Big Day: I purposely planned a “vacation photo shoot” a few days into our trip to try and throw my now-fiancée off the trail and make her think it was a birthday trip. It had rained early that morning but the sun appeared perfectly in time for our shoot and my now-fiancée was swept off her feet!
Cameron & his fiancée in Lake Louise
I met my fiancée in our freshman year of high school. After moving away for a year, I came back to the same high school and we started dating junior year. It will be 8 years together this August; we’ve been long-distance for 7 years due to me moving away to play hockey and both of us attending college in different cities. We have been talking about our future together for a while and knew that we wanted to get married someday. I knew that she was the one after being through so much together; I don’t know what I would do without her.
The Big Day: The proposal happened early in the morning at Lake Minnewanka. Our photographer Robin got there early and sent a text telling us where to go for the proposal. After not-so-subtly rushing her out of the car to the area by the lake (so I didn’t have time to get nervous), I proposed. I was so happy our parents were there to share the moment with us. My fiancée had no idea it was going to happen on this trip, which made everything more special.
Diego & Jerome in Venice
Jerome and I met in Liège, Belgium a bit more than 2 years ago. I was jogging around his office and he was out on his lunch break. We saw each other and it was love at first sight. Back then nothing seemed possible between us but life took care of the details and here we are!
The Big Day: Everything went exactly as planned! Olga was waiting for us at the chosen spot. When we got there I asked my partner to take a selfie with me. This was my sign to Olga so she could approach us. She came and offered her help to take a pictures of us (as we had planned before). So she grabbed my phone and set it into video mode while she was pretending to take one or two pictures. When she was all settled she gave me a sign and I knew it was all up to me now. It was my time to go down on my knee and propose. And so I did! And the result is exactly as I expected!
Sarah & Kade in Rome
My partner and I met on 8.12.12 in the zip code of 81212, which I have always found divine. Our first time meeting was a dream and totally unexpected, as neither one of us was looking. I was helping my aunt with a free-ride service and he had just moved into town for his apprenticeship. We picked him and some others up from the bar to take them home and we ended up having breakfast at 3 am, watching a meteor shower and the sunrise, all while laughing, sharing stories and singing songs. That’s when I felt this was a deeper connection. Before I knew it, I moved into his camper and began travelling the west coast with him; my family thought I was crazy. It’s been 7 years since then and now we have two kids and we continue to travel around together. I found it perfect that I proposed to him on 12.1, it adds to our numbers 1 and 2 which has been something that we regularly celebrate. Proposing to him on that date wasn’t really planned, I just picked the last day of our trip and it happened to be 12.1. Our love is aligned!
The Big Day: I had originally planned to turn on some music and have us dance to our favorite song, but I was extremely nervous and decided to just propose instead. Thankfully Guido was there to help! We took some clever photos and when Kade turned around, I proposed. I was so nervous I didn’t say much and I didn’t even ask if he would marry me – I just shoved the ring on his finger, assuming his answer would be yes. All in all, it was a perfect proposal in my eyes.
Robinson & Caitlin in Reykjavik
We’re often asked how we met – especially as a couple who started out in two different states. Well, Caitlin was visiting some friends in the area when we ran into each other … a few times. After some spontaneous karaoke, an evening at the craps table, and a late-night viewing of Mean Girls, we were kind of hooked on each other. After she left for home, I knew I needed to get her back to DC for a date. A month later, I somehow convinced her to be my date to the French Embassy Christmas Gala and got her on a plane. The weekend included Christmas lights at the zoo, ravioli and red wine, a red dress and a black tux … and pretty much no sleep. As much as we hated to admit it, we quickly realized we were about to spend a lot of late nights on the road.
The Big Day: If you’re a mind reader, you could’ve heard two VERY different stories going on in our minds on the morning of January 26, 2019. The boy there in blue was FREAKING OUT (that’s me). The girl in green (that’s Cait) had no idea what was coming. Friends that hear my side recall how slowly Caitlin ate her breakfast, or how many pictures of her soft boiled egg she took, or how much sass I got for making sure my hair was parted in just the right spot. Friends that hear Caitlin’s side laugh about how Caitlin remembers me losing all conversational ability, eating way too fast, and taking extra-long in the shower. Back to the big moment … I got in position, just like my Flytographer team and I had planned. I took my selfie, said the only line I rehearsed, then panicked without a further script while Caitlin just smiled at me. It was a beautiful smile, and I wish y’all could’ve seen it from where I was standing! Once I had rambled through words and sentences that didn’t make sense, she finally said yes! What a day! After that, we got a personal tour of all the most beautiful spots in Reykjavik with a photographer who knew his stuff and knew how to capture all the magic of the day. Now we have a little album and a big story that we LOVE pulling out to share with friends, family, and strangers in the elevator – thanks largely to Flytographer!
Samantha & Alivia in Barcelona
We met on a dating app called “Coffee Meets Bagel” or CMB for short. Now we joke that CMB stands for “Coffee Marries Bagel” for us. I knew Alivia was the one during our first trip together in Toronto. We sat at this park bench and just talked about life, and we both knew we just wanted all of our life moments together.
The Big Day: I’ve always written Alivia little notes in greeting cards. So I knew for this day I needed to make a special one. I had one of my friends make a special greeting card that showed us at Parc Güell overlooking the city (the exact spot we were going to be for our photo shoot). I pulled out the card and handed it to her. When she finished reading my note, I asked her to marry me and she said yes. Well, to be honest, at first she said, “Why are you giving this to me now? We’re in the middle of a photoshoot!” but she read it and then it all finally clicked … she said yes nonetheless.
Billy & his fiancée in Quebec
I met my fiancée in middle school, but we did not start dating until college. From our first date, I knew she was going to be the one. We have been dating for 5 years and been through a lot together; as the years passed and we have grown into young professionals, we have grown closer and closer. Our experiences have established deep respect and adoration for each other, and there is no one I would rather have by my side through life.
The Big Day: The proposal was magical to say the least, but the weather was quite cold and windy. We were getting ready to go to a nice restaurant, and as we finished, I suggested going outside for a few pictures in front of the hotel. She was rather upset about going outside because of the cold and wind, but I was able to convince her to take a few good photos. Little did she know, our photographer was waiting for us as a “friendly bystander.”
Kemet & his fiancée in Lisbon
We met our freshmen year of college through a mutual friend. I went to a school in Massachusetts and lived in New York; she went to school in New York and lived in Massachusetts. It was her birthday weekend and she was visiting home to celebrate with her friends and that’s when I saw her. I knew I couldn’t simply approach her; I did something silly and asked to take her out for ice cream in the middle of winter. While walking to the ice cream store, I put my arms around her and we hit it off from there.
The Big Day: I was so nervous and it didn’t help that we ended up at the wrong location at first. But it kind of threw her off, so it all worked out. I saw Ana at the location and quickly asked her for a selfie, which put us in place to capture the big moment. I said to her, “People always say everything happens for a reason, and at this moment, love is the reason. From the moment I met you until this day we’ve had unconditional love. Love that’s filled with support, laughter, long car rides – lol. Love that will stand the test of time and … ” She interrupted me, laughingly asking, “Why are you saying all these nice things to me?” And I laughed and said “Because I love you, silly!” and dropped to one knee. It didn’t take long for her to say “yes” with tears of joy.
Kekoa & his fiancé in Cape Town
I met Kekoa in Chicago. I joke that I fell for him before I even met him based on his profile picture, but it’s not really a joke. There was instant chemistry and our first date was one for the books.
The Big Day: Kekoa suggested that we go up to Signal Hill to take photos at sunset. He asked a stranger if she would take a photo for us, and after she took the photo, Kekoa said “So…it’s happening,” and then got down on one knee. I was in absolute shock but said “yes” in an instant. Afterward, a stranger came up to us and introduced herself as our photographer. The rest is history.
Daniel & his fiancée in New York
We met at an ice skating rink and spent seven hours together on our first date. We’ve basically been inseparable ever since.
The Big Day: The morning of the shoot, it was drizzling out and slightly chilly. As we walked through Central Park to Bow Bridge, the park was practically empty. The weather worked in our favour because the moment felt so private since we were basically alone. As soon as Daniel started to get down on one knee and I realized what was happening, I starting crying. It was such a magical moment.
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