What are the best romantic ways to propose "Will You Marry Me"?

I suppose I wanted to give what I think is the best proposal I ever saw in my life. What happened was this: I went to a friend’s play in a bar in New York City. It was a two man play about the trials and tribulations of being an actor in Manhattan. The two actors had a seemingly full script and characters. I was told that they had been working on these characters for months. Throughout the play, one of the would-be actors kept saying how his goals in life had changed since he met his current girlfriend. He was questioning how this new love might change his life and how he might even no longer want to be an actor. There were emotional highs and emotional lows over the 45 minutes. The end of the play was the actual proposal to his actual girlfriend. The play could never be done again. This was unique, beautiful and well thought out. I know it’s a lot of effort and only goes some way in addressing your questions, but it still seems to point to the best option: something personal, something unique, something that can’t be repeated again.

@sushilovinfun , thanks. Loved your last line:
something personal, something unique, something that can’t be repeated again.
I am going to think about it a lot. Thanks again for sharing.

You need to do something special to you and your girlfriend. Do you like to scuba dive? Take her diving. Point out a shell with the ring in it. When she picks it up, hold up a sign that says “Will You Marry me?”

Take her to the place you first kissed her.

Travel somewhere very romantic: a tropical island, Paris.

Take her to a sporting event where you have arranged to have the proposal put up on the scoreboard.

You can ask her parents for her hand in marriage first 1) if you are sure of the answer and 2) if she would like it.

You should buy the ring first.

Here is a link to a site that lists 50 Romantic Ways to Propose. They are broken down into categories of public, private, tech, foodie, playful, summer, thoughtful and cheesy. It might spark an idea on how to make your proposal unique by personalizing it.

Asking your princess’s parents for her hand in marriage is a nice touch, as it is a sign of respect. It really depends on the situation though.

As for purchasing a ring first, again, it depends upon your girlfriend. My SO would have much preferred that I pick one out, and I insisted that he do it on his own. We were both a bit worried; he knows that I have specific tastes on certain things, and I know that when he shops, he buys the closest thing to the door. He ended up picking out an eternity ring. It’s not a traditional engagement ring, but his reasoning was, “This is for life.” He couldn’t have made a better selection.

It’s a charming idea to talk to the parents first. It will also give you connection to the family, and give you a good idea as to whether or not she’s going to accept you.

It’s lovely to buy the ring first, if you think you have a good idea as to what she would like, and her ring size. Some women want to choose their own ring. If you have some friends who just got engaged, you can bring up the topic of rings by asking her if she liked the style, etc.

It used to be popular to put the ring in an ice cube, box of popcorn at the movies, into a cupcake, etc. I think the best proposals are the down-on-one knee, Prince Charming type. You could record a video, put it on YouTube and post it to her FB page. Don’t get too clever

Congratulations on finding “the one” @Ranimi23!

I just got this idea that might work only if she has ZERO idea you are going to propose.

1. ( optional ) Get her a beautiful kitten. ( of course only if she likes them )

2. After 2 weeks get her to agree on a New York City over the weekend trip. It has to be a spontaneous idea.

2. One week before the trip, watch the movie “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” with her in a very relaxed, no distractions setting but not too obvious either that she detects its a set-up.

3. Drop by Tiffany’s in NYC once you are there and propose to her as she tries on a ring she had no idea is actually hers that you have ordered weeks before.

In a crowded street / park just propose her.
Work your angle from there ^^

Does it really matter how you propose? It’s romantic anyway…

You could write it outside her bedroom window, in candles or in the snow if you live anywhere where it still snows, or with flowers…I heard of someone doing that, but I don’t know what they wrote the words with…and it is best if you buy a ring, but keep the receipt and make sure she can swap it for another if she doesn’t love it, afterall she’ll hopefully be wearing it for the rest of her life. Congrats :)

I feel compelled to rain on the parade with the simple observation that in the grand scheme of things marriage is a practical commitment to partnership. If you haven’t discussed the sorts of things that marriage entails – kids, arguments, where you’ll live together, mutual goals – then I’d say you aren’t ready to pop the question.
If you have discussed these things then @antimatter is correct, you can do it anywhere/anytime and it will be a beautiful moment for you two to cement your decision that has been brewing for some time. It will be memorable but quickly take its place among other milestones in your shared life.