Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Marriage Proposals: 50 Romantic Ways to Propose


Celebrations By Amy Bacon can help you plan the big moment if you want. We can assist with creative ideas and worry about all the details. All you have to do is get the ring and pop the question! One thing I love that I see grooms doing is having the proposal video taped or photographed! You can use those photos for an announcement, Save the Dates, and/or show them at your Wedding Reception!


Here it is: our super-size list of wedding proposal ideas. Browse the categories and select with care -- your future depends on it!


Marriage on your mind? She'll be telling the story of how you proposed to friends and strangers for the rest of her life, so tailor one of these ideas to make sure it's memorable.

Read on for 50 great marriage proposal ideas, or skip to the type of proposal you think fits best:
Best Public Marriage Proposal Ideas

Have a flair for the dramatic?

Get in touch with the stage manager of an appropriately themed production and propose after the cast's curtain call.
Take out a full-page ad in a newspaper you know your girlfriend reads daily.
Arrange a surprise proposal with a street caricaturist. Have him sketch a picture of you two with word bubbles. Yours will read, "Will you Marry Me?", and hers will say, "Yes!"
Pay the divers at an aquarium to put on a proposal show inside their biggest fish tank. Give them handwritten signs that say "Will You Marry Me?" to hold up against the glass.
Send your girlfriend on a treasure hunt. Start with a clue at home, then send her on a tour of your favorite spots all over town. When she gets to the last hint, the prize should be you on one knee.
Go out for a night of dancing, and ask the DJ or band leader to pass you the mic so that you can dedicate a song and propose on the dance floor.
Have a friend or family member set up a picnic -- complete with wine and cheese, or course -- for you in a park. Take your girlfriend for a hike on a route where you'll stumble upon this surprise "Proposal Picnic."
Hire a skywriter to spell your proposal for everyone around to see.
Flying anytime soon? Use the plane's loud-speaker system (of course, run your plan by the flight attendants first) and propose at 35,000 feet.
Movie buffs? Ask your neighborhood theater to run an ad featuring your proposal and make sure you get there in time for the previews.
Gather a bunch of your friends and family for a party. Have everyone in attendance put on a T-shirt bearing one of the letters in the phrase "Will You Marry Me?" When you walk in the room with your girlfriend, suggest a group picture and let the shirts speak for themselves.


Best At-Home Marriage Proposal Ideas

For a simple surprise, after she goes to bed, go to her jewelry box and replace her everyday ring with the engagement ring. She'll be completely shocked in the morning when she goes to put on her regular ring.
Draw a bath and place a floating candle or rubber ducky in the middle with a ring tied around its neck. Make a path of roses leading to the tub. (And make sure the drain is well-plugged!)
Speaking of paths, turn off all the lights in your apartment and make a trail of candles that leads to a circle of votives positioned around a ring.
Slip the ring on her finger while she's sleeping and wake her with champagne and strawberries. At first, the gesture will simply seem romantic -- the real surprise comes when she notices her new piece of jewelry.
Tie a red velvet ribbon from one spot in your home to another. Attach little notes recalling perfect moments in your relationship along the way. You wait at the last stop, ring in hand.


Best Tech Marriage Proposal Ideas

Create your own podcast proposal and sneak it onto her iPod.
Upload a video of your proposal on YouTube (tell her you have a hysterical home movie to show her).
Steal her digital camera and head to her favorite local outdoor spot. Bring a friend with you and have posters made with the words "will," "you," "marry," "me?" Have your friend photograph you holding each one in a different position. Then, let her know you borrowed her camera and ask if she will upload your photos.
Take the scavenger hunt high-tech: Send your mate a text message leading her to a secret spot. Keep her engaged by text messaging her sweet nothings along the way (and directions of course), as you lead her to you, on bended knee.
We had to add this one: Create a web page declaring your love and intentions. Leave your sweetie a clue with the web address written on it -- don't say a word. After the proposal has been officially accepted (which, of course, it will be!), she can proudly send the page to friends and family.


Best Foodie Marriage Proposal Ideas

Make the box with her ring a selection on the dessert tray at your favorite restaurant.
Put together a gift basket of yummy delicacies -- the best chocolate, caviar, coffee -- and hide the ring among the presents (in its box, so it doesn't get lost in the goodies).
Ask the pastry chef to write, "Will you marry me?" in chocolate sauce around the rim of her dessert plate.
Ask a baker to make a cake with the proposal written in frosting. Have him display it in the storefront and suggest a little window-shopping to your girlfriend.
Create a personalized fortune cookie with your own proposal message.


Most Playful Marriage Proposal Ideas

Create your own crossword puzzle (it's easy with this site) and be prepared to help her work it out over breakfast.
Spell your proposal out in glow-in-the-dark star stickers on your ceiling. Get into bed, turn the lights off, and wait for the inevitable gasp.
Spell out your proposal with refrigerator magnets.
Scratch your proposal into the frost on her car's windshield.
If your girlfriend is a teacher, sneak into her classroom before school starts and write your proposal on the blackboard. Stay hiding in the coat closet or right outside the room for the moment she arrives.
Get a ring size chart and ask your girlfriend to look up her size. When she accuses you of ruining the surprise that you're shopping for a ring, say, "Okay, try this one instead," and show her that you've already shopped for a ring.
During your annual Halloween prep, challenge her to a pumpkin-carving contest and carve the words "Marry Me" in your pumpkin.
Write "Will You Marry Me?" on the underside of a kite and take flight one warm, breezy afternoon.
Play Hangman and have the phrase be "Marry Me."


Best Summer Marriage Proposal Ideas

If you love to hit the beach, head down a few hours before her and write your proposal in the sand with large white rocks.
Go to the beach and casually build a sandcastle (at a safe distance from the ocean!) and place the ring on the highest turret. Then invite her to admire your handiwork.
Gather your families together for a summer barbecue and make it a family affair.
Make your own message in a bottle. On the night before a beach day you've planned, write a love poem on a piece of parchment paper, roll it into an antique bottle with a cork, and bury it in a well-marked spot in the sand near your towels. Be sure you "find" the bottle as you dig together -- and have the ring at the ready.


Most Thoughtful Marriage Proposal Ideas

If you're artistically inclined or just like to make things with your own two hands, integrate something you've made into the proposal. For example, if you have woodworking skills, present the ring in a special hand-carved jewelry box.
Buy a pet that she has always wanted (bunny, kitten, puppy) and loosely tie the ring around its neck. Or, substitute a stuffed animal -- still cute, but less maintenance!
Tell your girlfriend you want to make a time capsule together to bury and dig up years into the future. As you're gathering the items, say it wouldn't be complete without a picture of the moment you two got engaged! Have a Polaroid camera ready to take that shot right after you present her with the ring.
Rent a Vespa scooter and invite your girlfriend for a ride, but remind her to be safe and wear a helmet. Put the ring in the helmet box and then zip around town to celebrate.
Meet for a drink at a posh hotel bar. When it's time to go, casually mention that you've already reserved a room for the night. When you open the hotel room door, have roses, candles, and champagne all set up -- everything for a perfect surprise proposal.


Cheesy (but Hilarious) Proposal Ideas

Make a list of 10 reasons you'd like to marry your beloved. Read them to her in front of a crowd, have them delivered via singing telegram, or send them written on individual note cards over the course of a day (or 10!), with the last card arriving by personal messenger (you!).
Want to really surprise your girlfriend? Cut out the bottom of a huge box, wrap it with pretty paper and ribbon, and attach a card that says, "What's inside the box is a gift to last a lifetime." "Deliver" yourself to his or her office or front door.
Make her ring the surprise in a box of Cracker Jack.
Write your proposal in sunscreen on your stomach, so that your tan will "stencil in" the words.
Make her feel like a movie star and set your proposal to the scene of her favorite romantic movie. You could arrange your own Pretty Woman moment (the finale, of course) -- rent a white limo and climb through the moonroof with flowers in hand to proclaim your love as you arrive at her place.
Another funny movie proposal? Steal from that famous Say Anything scene -- park yourself outside her house with a stereo blaring your favorite tune and propose on the front lawn.

- The Knot

Please call Celebrations By Amy Bacon to assist with the proposal or the big day!
Direct - 602.762.1174
www.celebrationsbyamybacon.com

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Blog Written By Ashley Rahaman | Married 3.12.11

I officiated my first wedding at 8 years old, on the playground of my elementary school during recess. Not only was I the officiant, but I was also the coordinator, wedding dress designer, and would have been the caterer if I could have snuck those cupcakes to school without being caught! I have loved everything about weddings for as long as I can remember; the flowers, the dress, the music, and the love all speak to hopeless romantic in me. Naturally, when I got engaged 20 years after that playground wedding, I believed that my love of all things “wedding” would be all I needed to plan my own perfect day. As I began planning, I had no trouble deciding my color scheme, designing my stationary, picking out my venue, and the all important first dance song. I enjoyed the process of planning; it was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.

Shortly before I was engaged, a dear friend of mine was also engaged, and asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding. So, in October, five months before I would take my own walk down the aisle, I stood beside my friend and watched her say “I do.” The entire event went off without a hitch, and was more fun than I could have possibly imagined a wedding could be. All day, I noticed that my friend seemed completely at peace and when it came time to party, she had the time of her life. When I returned home from the festivities and my friend had settled into married life, I asked her: “How is it possible that your day went so smoothly?” That is when she gave me the best advice I got during my entire planning process. “Hire a wedding coordinator!”

What! Me? Why on earth would I bite into my budget to hire someone else to coordinate my wedding! I worried that if I hired a wedding planner, I’d be allowing someone completely unfamiliar with me, and what I had dreamed of (for nearly three decades!), to commandeer my wedding. I would end up “hosting” a cookie cutter wedding that reflected my planner’s tastes rather than my own. But, intrigued by the prospect of having a stress-free day, I did a little research and decided I’d give Amy Bacon a call. Amy didn’t push me, nor did she try to sell me on her idea of the perfect wedding. What she offered to do was step into my shoes, get my vendors organized, and make sure that the wedding I had been dreaming of came to fruition. I felt confident that my wedding would remain “my wedding”.

As we approached the day of the wedding, Amy asked me a barrage of questions that served two purposes: 1) She got to know me and my fiancĂ©, and 2) She was able to ensure that no detail, no matter how minute, was overlooked. These questions served one more very important function for me: I was beginning to see that I hadn’t even scratched the surface in planning my day. Who would take the cake topper home at the end of the night? How many votive candles did I want on each table? Did all of the vendors know their delivery times and location? And who was planning to clean all of this stuff up at the end of the night? I quickly realized just how important this investment was turning out to be. Instead of being a taskmaster on my wedding day, I’d get to be a bride. What a concept!

Fast forward to one month after my wedding. We’ve been flipping through online photo albums, and exhausting each other with “do-you-remember-when” stories of the reception. I’ve had a chance to process it all now. When I recall my wedding day, I recall the beautiful morning I awoke to find. I remember the quiet time I shared at the salon with my mother. I laugh when I replay the impromptu “Wedding Day Rap” my sister composed in the limo on the way to the church. I see my bouquet, lush and beautiful, my groom, and my friends and family filling the pews of the church. I remember the tears of joy I cried upon seeing the reception room for the first time, having been thoughtfully set-up by my extraordinary wedding coordinator who was sure that there were indeed six votive candles on every table. Absent from my memory is even one moment of anxiety over a single thing.

My memories of this amazing day could fill the pages of entire volume of books, but there is one overriding and all-important theme to them all. On my wedding day, I was the bride, and nothing else. All night, I didn’t field a question more difficult than, “How does it feel to be married?” For that day, all questions, concerns and requests were the responsibility of the amazing woman, Amy Bacon. To this day, I have no idea if there was even one misstep, because every detail was handled for me. If the kitchen caught on fire that day, I assure you, I’d have had no idea!

Needless to say, my day was a dream. Amy impressed every single person with whom they made contact that day. She made sure that the wedding I had been planning since the third grade was coordinated and executed to the smallest detail. In planning your wedding, sure, the flowers are important. And so is the cake and the music, too. But, I can assure you that all of those amazing little details are infinitely better enjoyed when you know that you have also made a priceless investment in the peace of mind you can only get by leaving the coordinating of your big day to the professionals.



Ashley relaxing at the salon I stopped by to see her and she was so relaxed.


Ashley having fun with her girls while our crew is hard at work. The way it should be.


Personally assisting Ashley into the Church.


Mr. and Mrs. Rahaman!


The guest tables.



Ashley and Darius seeing their reception room for the first time. She cried ... then I cried.


Details!
Allow Celebrations by Amy Bacon to be with you on your special day. 
Contact us today for your free consultation -
amy@celebrationsbyamybacon.com
602.762.1174

Photo Credit -  Drew and Megan Anderson Photography.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

11.11.11 Wedding and Pop Corn Buffet

Valerie is a beautiful young lady that I've had the honor of knowing for years now. I have had the chance to watch her grow into the amazing woman she is today. She is a hard working mother, friend, student, and now a wife! It was an honor to be part of the wedding team for this couple.

Valerie and Jacob were not the typical bride and groom by any stretch of the imagination. It was so refreshing to work with this couple, and help make their wedding day dreams come true. They were very concerned about their family and guests having the time of their lives. They wanted everything to represent their life and life style.

Wedding Coordination by Amy Bacon of Celebrations by Amy Bacon
Pop Corn Buffet by Amy Bacon of Celebrations by Amy Bacon
Flowers by Michelle Hadley of Crazy Daisies Flowers and Gifts
Dj by Randy DjV'ez Vela of M&R Digital DJ Entertainment
Venue - Eagle Mountain Golf Course
Cake by Suzanne Lever Gourmet Cakes and More
Hair by Stephanie Lawler
Make up by Jaina McKinley
Officiant - Sandy O'Connor

The flowers, ceremony decor, centerpieces were all super creative. With the use of flowers, feathers, lights, mirrors, candles, and a lot of creativity Michelle and I rocked this wedding. We were a true dream team working with each other and our teams coming together as one.

Sandy the officiant lead the personalized ceremony and was very engaging.

Randy kept the ceremony and reception Rockin and Rolling all day and night. This crowd knew how to party, and Randy knew how to keep them on the dance floor.

Suzanne made fabulous cupcakes that were in a variety of flavors and some even included Cardinals sugar toppers. The display was amazing and the cupcakes were moist and melted in your mouth.

This was my second wedding with Stephanie on hair and Jaina on makeup. Again ALL the ladies looked flawless. Love these two ladies.





















You do not need to have a sweet tooth to enjoy the buffet services at Celebrations By Amy Bacon.

Packers Inspired Candy Buffet

This Candy Buffet is inspired by my love for the Packers.