The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted all aspects of life and forced people around the world to shelter indoors, which means making adjustments to major scheduled events such as wedding proposals. Even though your planned dream proposal may not be possible for the time being, you can still get creative and ask for your partner’s hand in marriage from home. Read below to learn more about planning the perfect wedding proposal from home!
Clean and Decorate the House
Cleaning and decorating is one of the first steps to a perfect home proposal. The proposal is a very important step in you and your partner’s relationship, as it says that you are ready and committed to spend the rest of your lives together. Cleaning and decorating can help create the perfect environment for such an important moment.
Tidying up any messes or clutter, vacuuming, dusting, and other typical cleaning tasks will help make your home more inviting. You can even deep clean the home or specific area where you plan to propose if you are so inclined. You may also want to decorate and spruce up your home with flowers, candles, balloons, or any other specific proposal props. These can help transform the area into an oasis of love and make the moment even more special. Cleaning and decorating will also make any pictures you and your partner take look lovely.
The Engagement Ring
Arguably the most important part of the proposal, make sure you are prepared with the perfect wedding ring. If you have secured a ring already, whether chosen with your partner or purchased on your own, make sure it is stored safely before the big event.
If you are ordering it online, be sure to know your partner’s size beforehand and order it with enough time in advance to ensure its on-time arrival. Many jewelry stores might be designated as non-essential businesses, meaning they may be closed in your area. This would require you to order a ring online or wait until their reopening to purchase one, which could have an uncertain timeline, so be sure to plan ahead.
Dinner and Drinks
Food and drinks are very popular and romantic proposal elements. While you cannot propose at your favorite romantic restaurant, you can still incorporate food and drinks into your at-home proposal. You can prepare your partner’s favorite meal or order from a local restaurant, which also provides much needed financial support to a local business.
Pair the meal with a nice bottle of wine, champagne, or your favorite cocktails (where the ring could be waiting at the bottom) and enhance the ambiance with flowers, candlelight, and a nice tablecloth. You don’t have to leave the house for a romantic dinner proposal!
“Destination” Proposal
Vacation proposals are very popular, as they are not only romantic ways to propose, but create a specific sentimental memory and value associated with that location. If you had a romantic destination proposal planned for the spring or summer, your trip was likely postponed due to the travel restrictions and health and safety precautions of the COVID-19 pandemic. While you could wait to propose on your postponed trip, there are ways to incorporate elements of your planned destination proposal at home.
If you had planned a romantic Paris proposal, decorate your apartment with pictures of Paris and prepare a delicious French-themed meal. You could then celebrate with French music and dancing. For those who had planned romantic beach proposals, bring the beach inside with decorations, swimsuit attire, and beachside cocktails. With a little time, effort, resources, and creativity, you can turn your home into a romantic destination proposal!
Dress Up
People have found themselves constantly dressing down while they have been quarantined at home. For your proposal, ditch the joggers and hoodie for something a bit more formal and elegant. If you were proposing outside of your home, you would likely don your finest fabrics to celebrate this special once-in-a-lifetime occasion. This should be no different, despite the change in the location.
Dressing up can help provide an escape from your daily routine and normalcy. You will also likely take pictures with your significant other after the proposal, and dressing up will ensure that you both look your best for the occasion, especially if they are posted to social media or used on the wedding invitation or website.
Friends and Family
Friends and family are often involved in proposals, but it may be difficult to safely do so if you do not want to invite others into your house for health and safety reasons. If you want company for this special moment, be sure to take safety precautions.
You can use various digital platforms such as FaceTime, Zoom, Google Hangout, or Houseparty to include everybody either during or after the proposal. This allows your friends and family from all over the world to celebrate this special moment with you. If possible, your friends and family can gather outside of your window or drive by your home for a safe socially distant celebration.
Specific In-Home Proposal Ideas
The options are endless for specific proposal ideas, aside from the aforementioned dinner and destination suggestions. Considering your partner’s interests, hobbies, and passions can help you come up with the perfect idea. If you love to play board games together, spell out your proposal on the Scrabble board. If you have a shared love of a specific song or band, have it playing in the background.
Some may prefer and appreciate the more simplistic and traditional approach of dropping to one knee and opening the felt box. Regardless of what you choose, you and your partner will be ready to celebrate and move one step closer toward marriage after your perfect proposal from home!
