The 8 Best Holiday Proposal Ideas
If Rom-Coms have taught us anything, it’s that the holidays provide the perfect backdrop for popping the question. With twinkling lights, glistening snow and a sparkling engagement ring, the most wonderful time of the year can be turned into a movie-worthy setting for a very romantic proposal.
Are you already noticing more engagements happening lately, with lots of gorgeous rings on Instagram and happy couples on TikTok? You’re not imagining it. The holiday season from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day is also proposal season! Christmas Day, Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve and the Sunday before Christmas Eve are the most popular days to propose, year after year.
The holiday season is practically made for romance so it’s a great time for a proposal to remember. With all the joy, merriment, mistletoe, and Mariah Carey on repeat, it’s hard to not get caught up in the season. But remember to treat the holidays only as inspiration. You’re going for romantic and personal, not Santaland theme park. For example, a champagne toast at midnight on New Year’s Eve is a great idea. A rumpled rented Santa suit? Maybe not.
Be sure to spend some extra time planning, since this time of year already tends to be a little bit busy. While it’s lovely to celebrate with family and friends around the fire, make sure you plan some time alone together too. Here are our six favorite Christmas proposal ideas to inspire a moment you’ll both remember forever. We also have the perfect one carat and two carat lab grown diamond engagement rings to inspire the biggest possible “YES.”
Count the Days
When you were a kid, counting down the days until Christmas with an advent calendar was the perfect way to let the excitement build all month long. Create the same anticipation with a custom advent calendar filled with little gifts and surprises that celebrate your relationship: gift cards to the restaurant where you had your first date, tickets to see your song performed live, and even mistletoe. Instead of the whole month, you can count down the twelve days of Christmas, using the song to inspire the gifts. You can also count down the eight nights of Hanukkah. Follow the countdown of presents with the ultimate gift of love: a gorgeous engagement ring. A three-stone engagement ring with sustainable lab grown diamonds produced with renewable energy will celebrate your past, present and future, contributing to making the future bright for the next generation. Could there be a more meaningful way to pop the question?
Picture Perfect
Pics or it didn’t happen. Combine your holiday card photoshoot with your proposal photoshoot for a picture-perfect moment captured forever. If you tell your beloved that you are shooting a portrait for your holiday card, you’ll have the ideal excuse to hire a photographer, get all dressed up and head to a picturesque location like a viewpoint or rooftop. If you want to lean into the holiday theme, you can go to a Christmas tree farm. You can even include your pets and family. When the camera’s rolling, drop to one knee and pop the question. Your holiday card will be your engagement announcement. A photogenic lab grown diamond halo engagement ring will be breathtaking in every shot.
Ice, Ice Baby
There’s nothing like walking in a winter wonderland to make a memory. Use the snow and ice to make your moment romantic. Hike up a hill for pretty winter scenery. Drop to one knee at the top or, in true Hollywood style, write ‘Marry Me?’ in the snow. Film a one-of-a-kind engagement announcement together as you sled down the hill. If you live somewhere where a sleigh ride or a dog-sled adventure is a possibility, this fun winter classic is a perfect proposal backdrop. Arrange a surprise at the end of the ride with a custom sign and other decorations asking your partner to marry you. Winter sports are also a great setting for a holiday proposal. Holding hands at an ice-skating rink while your special song plays in the background. The gorgeous mountain view from a ski lift or a lodge is perfect for proposing. An icy-white lab grown diamond solitaire engagement ring will remind you of this shining romantic winter moment.
Trim the Tree with Sparkle
Tinsel, lights and ornaments shine bright but nothing sparkles like an engagement ring. For a magical moment, hang the engagement ring on your Christmas tree, tuck it in an ornament or hide the box among the branches. After she’s opened her presents, tell her there’s an extra little something in the tree. If you want to have a keepsake to help you always remember your proposal, a custom couple’s Christmas ornament will become a family heirloom. Sneak it onto the tree on Christmas morning so you don't spoil the surprise. You could pop the question while decorating the tree together so that you're able to enjoy all of Christmastime as an engaged couple. A pear-shape lab grown diamond engagement ring will be the perfect forever ornament for her finger.
Take a Trip
There’s nothing more romantic than a holiday getaway to someplace romantic. The holidays are gorgeous in a city decked out in lights, a snowy mountain getaway, a cozy cabin in the woods, or a sun-soaked tropical beach. Whether it’s a weekend away or a whole week together, proposing on your holiday vacation can be a great way to make the moment special. If you don’t know your destination, a proposal planner can do all the work to make every detail perfect. You can also choose a romantic Airbnb and ask your host to set the scene with champagne in the fridge, a trail or rose petals and a “Marry Me?” sign. A princess cut lab grown diamond engagement ring with a sparkling pave band is the perfect souvenir of your trip to engagement land.
Choose your adventure: cuddling up in front of the fire in the mountains, chilling on a warm beach, or painting the town red. So should you propose at the beginning or the end? Is the plan to make the vacation all about the engagement or do you want to make the memories and then end the time away on a high? Proposing, even if you know it is a guaranteed yes, can be nerve-wracking. Imagine feeling like this for your whole engagement trip? This is why it is best to propose early in your trip. Then you can relax and enjoy the rest of your vacation. And an added bonus is that there’s less risk she’ll find the ring in your luggage!
Light Up the Night
Whether it's during a trip to see the Rockefeller Christmas Tree in New York City, the lighting of the National Christmas Tree in Washington, D.C. or simply a local tree lighting in your own city, there's something so romantic about the moment when a beautiful tree begins to brilliantly sparkle. Pack a thermos of hot chocolate or mulled wine and stroll around the neighborhood taking in the festive lights. Cap off the evening by romantically popping the question once you reach a picturesque spot. Secretly scout out the neighborhood Christmas lights a week or so in advance to plan your route. Consider spelling out “Marry me?” in lights. Decorate a tree in the forest with battery powered remote control lights so you can light up the night like magic when it’s time to pop the question. A dazzling oval lab grown diamond engagement ring is ready for the spotlight.
Make Some Movie Magic
To lead up to your own happily ever after, watch your partner's favorite romantic movie or choose from your favorite holiday movie that ends with a proposal. Reenact one of the most romantic movie declarations of love, the classic scene from holiday romance Love Actually, by professing your love on the doorstep with a stack of handwritten signs. Who could resist a grand romantic gesture like that? If you want to go all out, rent a movie theater and work with employees to end the film with "Will You Marry Me?" on-screen. Your engagement ring should be just as unforgettable. Choose a cinematic two-carat emerald cut lab grown diamond engagement ring worthy of movie star.
Wrap It Up
Order a custom sweatshirt or other gift for your partner with a message, like "engaged," "bride-/groom-to-be" or "Future Mrs." Wrap it like you would any other Christmas gift and when your partner opens the box, drop to a knee for your proposal. You can also create a stocking with lots of thoughtful little gifts and the ring snug inside the toe of the stocking. You can also wrap the engagement ring and put it under the tree. Use a series of nested boxes to disguise the ring until she opens the final box. A princess cut lab grown diamond solitaire engagement ring is the perfect way to show your love.
When it comes to proposing on Christmas, Hanukkah or any other holiday, the exact way you pop the question will be unique for your love story. Choose a proposal that feels like a great match for you, your partner and your relationship. If your partner is introverted, you may want a more one-on-one proposal to keep this special moment personal. If your soon-to-be fiancé loves being the center of the show, a more attention-grabbing proposal with an audience may be a great fit. No matter how you propose, a beautiful lab grown diamond engagement ring will be the ideal expression of your forever commitment to your brilliant future together.
