IT’S ENGAGEMENT SEASON! Whether you and bae have been together a year or 7 years, you know you’ve got the one, and you’re probably ready to take the next steps! But where do you start? From the ring, to what to say, it can be hard to know where to begin when planning to propose to the love of your life. Lucky for you I have step-by-step tips for how to plan out your epic proposal.

Where to Start When Planning Your Propsal

When planning your proposal the first thing you should do is get a feel for any expectations bae might have. Open communication is key both for your planning purposes and in a relationship as a whole. You should have a conversation, hypothetical or serious, about what you’re both looking for. 

Does bae like to be surprised? If that’s the case you can talk with one of their best friends (one who won’t spoil the surprise) and find out what they envision. Do they like grand gestures? Plan a dinner and evening around their proposal.  Are they more on the lowkey side? Try a more intimate setting for your proposal where there’s not a lot of outside distraction for your moment. Maybe they even want to help plan the proposal and be a part of it, the possibilities are endless.

Knowing what bae envisions for their proposal can make it much easier for you to plan. This is going to be a special moment for the two of you as you start the rest of your life together so don’t overthink it. With a little communication and a bit of planning you’ll for sure be able to plan the perfect proposal.

How to Find Out their Ring Size

If bae is hoping for a surprise, this is probably the most challenging step.  How do you figure out what size ring to purchase for your partner?  Well, there are a couple of different ways you can approach this.  

Sneak it

If they are a heavy sleeper, you can take a string and wrap it around their finger when they are sleeping.  You can make them a fake twist tie ring at the supermarket and size it to their finger, or, better yet, if they already wear a ring on that finger, try to snag the ring when they take it off at night.

Ask for Their Ring Size

If you and your partner are more open about your marriage and are planning your next steps together, ask your partner to go ring shopping!  You two can go out and try on rings, pick out options that you like and even try some on so you both know what size you need when it comes to buying the ring.

Enlist a Family Member or Friend

If your partner suspects it may be coming soon, ask someone close to them to help you out.  You can have them take bae window shopping to try on rings. You can ask a parent or grandparent to have them try on family heirloom rings. Or think of another plan that helps them help you grab their ring size.

Planning

When planning the actual proposal, things can be as simple, or as extravagant as you believe they would like.  If you haven’t had a conversation with bae about what they want out of a proposal then I would suggest starting your research early.  Does your partner like surprises?  Do they rave about a friend’s proposal and how it was done?  Do they talk about photographers regularly?

These are all things you will want to take note of as your proposal comes closer.  If you believe your partner might want your proposal documented, inquire with your photographer early.  You will need to know both their availability as well as your partner’s availability so it may take a bit longer to plan.  If you’re looking for a photographer to document your proposal, inquire here and we can get to planning!

From there, gradually take control of the planning for that particular day. If you want to blind-side them, ask a friend to take them out to lunch or on a walk in the place you plan to propose. Or you can put together an awesome day for just the two of you and propose when you feel the moment is right.

Executing

When it comes to the day of, you’ll want to remain calm and remember, there is no wrong way to ask your partner to spend the rest of their life with you. Whether you have a formal plan or not, you will want to have a ring box or somewhere safe for you to carry the ring along with you leading up to your proposal. Keep the ring somewhere safe, but be sure it’s not somewhere noticeable. Pockets, fanny packs, or a safe place in your car are all great options.

If you plan to have a photographer work with you the day of, it’s helpful to share your locations on your phone if possible so that you and your photographer can coordinate your locations discreetly. This is a lot more subtle than texting your photographer repeatedly to coordinate where you both are. Then when the moment is right, drop down on one knee and ask the person you love the most to spend the rest of their life with you!

Celebrating!

You’ve done it!  They have their ring, now what?!  Does your partner want to see their family at a little surprise gathering later in the day?  Do you want to spend the rest of the day just the two of you soaking it all in? Maybe you just want to facetime all of your favorite people before heading off to have a nice dinner just the two of you.

While the proposal itself is the big thing to plan for, you should also plan out what you two want to do afterwards. Try to keep this in line with what you had planned for the proposal itself, so if they like surprises you can plan out a surprise get together with your familys. Or if you two are more open about the proposal you can plan out what you both want to do afterwards. Whatever you decide it’s important to celebrate this occasion your way!

When planning out a proposal there are so many things to consider and be aware of that it can feel a bit overwhelming. This is such an incredibly important and happy moment for the two of you though, so you shouldn’t have to stress about it. Instead, follow the steps in this guide, take your time planning it out and talk with your partner about what you’re both expecting. You’ll be in such a better headspace and go into your proposal prepared and excited, as you should be!

If you’re looking to propose to bae sometime in the near future and want someone to capture it check out some of my most recent proposals!

Drew and Jeryn’s Lakefront Proposal

Savannah and Johnny’s Proposal

Or if you’re ready to take the next steps head to my contact page and send over an inquiry form!