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Writer's pictureCamila Hall

How to Propose During the Coronavirus Outbreak

Updated: Oct 29, 2021


covid wedding

It’s been low-key, (well, no. Not low key), manic. And one little guy managed to hit stardom for all the wrong reasons. Mr Corona Virus.


The world stood still during lockdown. People’s plans were put on hold. Vacations were a thing of the past. Children missed out on their education. Doctors and Nurses fought back with their knowledge and became global heroes, finally gaining the appreciation they deserve.


But, relationship plans were put on hold.


If you’re one of those people who decided to hold off proposing until Mr Corona is banished, we’re here to persuade you not to wait.


2020 has been the equivalent of this guy:


The truth is: COVID has reminded the world to live life to the fullest. It showed everyone that we should chase our dreams, become the people we’ve always wanted to and to remind the people we love how much they mean to us.


With our guide to planning a proposal during the coronavirus outbreak, what’s stopping you?


 

Shift that mind-set, buddy.


It’s so easy for us to get stuck in our own heads. “I had this amazing proposal planned. I had it timed perfectly. I organized a gathering with everyone who means the world to my partner. It was going to be the best proposal that has ever existed.”


If you keep replaying your own frustration on a loop in your mind, the only thing that’ll change is your anger levels.


We totally acknowledge how hard it is to plan a proposal. Especially if you’ve invested financially.



But, in reality: you can still make this a proposal that’ll go down in history. Sure, it may not be the way you had envisioned, but the proposal is the beginning of the rest of your lives together. One thing to remember is: you’re going to go through spells of unpredictability.


When you strip it back, the proposal is a simple question.


Sure, the impact of the question is heavy, but while fireworks and flowers are a beautiful touch: she will be over the moon that you’ve asked her. Everything else is an add on.


So, take a deep breath, shift that mindset, and let’s figure out how to make the very best of a COVID-19 proposal.

 

It’s all about WHERE you do it.


COVID has limited the places we’re able to propose. The last thing you want to do is arrive at the venue to be told you can’t go in as it’s too crowded.


And you’ll want to avoid crowds during a COVID outbreak. If you were planning, for example, to propose on Times Square, you’re going to want to shift the whereabouts.


Opt for a private proposal. Contact a few hotels and explain your situation. They may suggest using their rooftop or one of their rooms. Plus, they’ll happily decorate it for you.


Or, you can always propose at home. But, it won’t look like your home.


Let’s say you were planning on proposing at a family party. Contact the family and get them all on Zoom. Decorate the house as you would decorate a party. Balloons, confetti - the lot.


Simply turn your house into the dream venue. Struggling for ideas? We got you.

 

1. Table for one, garcon!

Say you were planning to propose at a restaurant. You make your home a restaurant. Purchase a menu cover from Amazon, a bunch of flowers, a candle and cook her a 3 course meal.


Make sure you include all the things a restaurant would: wine, champagne, romantic mood music and the right lighting.


If you’ve got kids, ask those little cherubs to pretend to be servers. (You could even give them a little salary - perhaps $5 to spend on candy!).



2. Take your love to new heights

Have you got a rooftop? Rooftops are one of our favorite proposal settings. There’s something magical about views of the city or skyline.


The beauty of a rooftop proposal is that it doesn’t matter what time of day you choose.


If you wanted to shape the day as the best day of your lives, you could propose at sunrise. Or, keep it romantic at sunset.


We recommend taking a bunch of blankets and pillows and setting up the rooftop with fairy lights and flowers.


You could tell her you wanted to give her a lock-down date night and both dress up to be full glam. Or, you could suggest it casually in the evening when you’ve both got your pajamas on.


The possibilities are endless. And beyond beautiful.



3. Another family Zoom quiz. With a twist.

Before COVID, no one knew what Zoom even was. When it swept across the globe like an infection of roaches, Zoom became number one on the downloads list.


If you were opting for a more public proposal and wanted family around you when you popped the question, why not set up a family quiz on Zoom?


Organize everyone into teams, making sure you and your partner are together.

Insist that everyone’s on camera and hit ‘record’ so she’s able to replay this moment forever.


Start the quiz and allow her to think that there’s nothing out of the ordinary. Make sure the last question is “will you marry me?” and get down on one knee.


This proposal is perfect for a surprise and, while the family aren’t there in body, they’re still a massive part of the big moment.



4. Be absolutely a-PAW-able. We’re not even kitten.

Cat parents? Dog moms and dads? Or, perhaps you’ve got a slightly more unusual pet. Either way, using your fur baby to propose is utterly adorable.


Grab yourself an engraved pet tag. Or, you can get yourself a small blackboard with a chord. Write ‘will you marry me?’ on the board and place the chord gently around your pet. Call her over as if the fur-baby has done something funny.


Make sure you say ‘quick! Before he stops!’ so she hurries into the room. You don’t want the dog to shake it off before she sees it.


You could also play it simple with a card. There are hundreds around that are ‘from the cat’ or ‘from the dog’. Pick your favorite one and write a message from your fur-baby to their mom. Something like “I like dad. Will you marry him?” works wonders.


No need to leave the house and wagging tails all round. Wonderfully puuurfect.



5. Proposal during play time

Are you a playful couple? Whether your playtime revolves around board games or scavenger hunts, COVID can’t rain on your PLAY-rade. (We know. That was pretty awful.)


Design your own ‘Chance’ card in Monopoly. Create and host a scavenger hunt in your front room.


Grab that pack of ‘Uno’ that’s been collecting dust bunnies on the shelf. Take out a blank card and a permanent marker and write ‘will you marry me?’


A great way of adding surprise for the pair of you - because you won’t know when she picks it!



Stop waiting.

Yes, your plans may have to change.

Yes, it may not be how you dreamed it.

But no, it doesn’t mean you should wait.


Proposing is so much more than the way you do it. It’s the commitment you’re promising. It’s the love between the two of you. And the world needs more love right now.


So, stop waiting.

Get creative with your proposal methods and pop the question.


Which was your favorite out of our list? Let us know in the comments.



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