Proposing in Disney

[Yensid88]

Hi all,

My girlfriend and I are going to Disney World in December. She doesn't know it yet, but I am planning to propose to her there. We have been talking about a wedding for some time now and she absolutely loves Disney so I know this will be special for her.

I am trying to game plan where I would like to propose. I have a few ideas in mind, but since I have only been to Disney twice, I thought I'd get suggestions and advice from the community here. Any thoughts or feedback would be appreciated!

Right now, my ideas are:

1. Propose in the Rose Garden between Magic Kingdom and Tomorrowland
2. Propose at the Wishing Well behind the Castle
3. Propose in the evening/night at Port Orleans Riverside (where we are staying) at the bay overlooking the main resort area
4. If I am able to book a restaurant overlooking Magic Kingdom, propose there after dinner - reservations may not be available though

I thought the first two options would allow me to get a Disney Photographer to photograph the moment which would be special, but the latter two options may be a bit more intimate.

Regardless of where I propose, I am planning to propose on either our first night there or on the second day (our first full day) so that we can enjoy the experience together for the rest of the trip....plus she'll want to get one of those big pins that says "Just Engaged!"

Any thoughts or suggestions would be sincerely appreciated! Thank you very much!

 

[Chilly]

Congratulations.

All good ideas. I think while having your photo taken is a fab idea, i'd have loved that.

 

[TigerandBear]

Hi there! How exciting! My fiance proposed to me at the rose garden last month and it was so perfect. We had purchased Memory Maker any way and we got SO many pictures of the moment.

 

[Deannacooper93]

My fiance proposed to my in front of the castle and had my step father standing by to take all of the pictures!! He actually told me he was planning to propose to me by the wishing well but when he was about to do it a huge family came by to take pictures by the well lol!!! When I went to disney the well was not accessible because of construction but it will most likely be done by December (I think they were putting the Christmas lights up).

 

[Disney_Alli]

Hi there! How exciting! My fiance proposed to me at the rose garden last month and it was so perfect. We had purchased Memory Maker any way and we got SO many pictures of the moment.

This spot would be my choice too. You can get great pictures here and 99.9% of the time there's a Photopass photographer there

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[TiffinyKaye]

I think it really depends on what's going to be most meaningful to the two of you.

If she's really an MK girl, then I'd say in front of the castle, Main Street USA, or during Wishes. I 100% recommend any option that allows you to have someone there (a Photopass person, or random stranger taking the picture for you) to take pictures and capture the moment.

The reason I say that it matters about what is most meaningful is because I got engaged in front of Spaceship Earth at Epcot December 8, 2012 (we're keeping the date and doing our wedding in Epcot December 8, 2014). My fiance and I are both huge Disney fans. And while we do love MK and all the others, Epcot is our favorite park. Being the most meaningful place for us between all the parks...getting engaged there (and making the choice to get married there, too) is all super meaningful. Plus, there was a Photopass dude there, and he has the whole thing on film too. Just make sure you're sneaky and let the dude know beforehand with a casual whisper.

Here's another thought too. Disney is masterful at proposals. It can cost hundreds of dollars to have 'special' stuff delivered at a restaurant for a truly fairytale proposal. That said, I think if you called guest services, they could arrange a time and place for you guys to be (wherever you decide, of course) so that the person you meet up with there knows to be ready. That's the one thing that I do regret about how our photos came out. Even though DF mentioned it in a whisper to him before, the guy really wasn't that quick on the draw. So, I swear to god the proposal was a surprise to him too (you can kind of tell in the photos).

Make sure you have bags and stuff (like a backpack) that you wouldn't want in the picture. That's how my fiance was able to tell the dude without looking suspicious. We "posed," and then he went back to the photographer to put his stuff down next to the photographer. That's when he passed along the info.

Anyway, good luck in your decision. I'm personally happy with Spaceship Earth because I love that place...and I feel like everyone gets engaged in front of the castle. So, I feel a little special in that mine was a tad bit more unique. That said, uniqueness doesn't matter if the place you ultimately choose (like the castle) would be important and magical to her.

Tiffiny

 

[LadyD]

Another thing to think about is how she would like the process the moment with you. Something like in front of the castle is likely to draw a lot of attention for people nearby while something at the resort is more likely to end up being a moment between the two of you.

It is hard to not pick a magical location at Disney World. I'm sure she is going to be thrilled and ecstatic where ever you pick

 

[jerseygal]

BEST OF LUCK and MANY YEARS OF HAPPINESS TO COME!:cheer

WE just celebrated #31!

Hope that you have a WONDERFUL HEALTHY LIFE together!

 

[kanadar]

I would agree to PP's. I LOVE Disney, but I myself wouldn't want my proposal in front of the castle. Nothing against it at all! It's just not my thing. I'd prefer something a bit different such as Epcot, or even on the beach at Poly that is on the way to the Grand Floridian. I think Port Orleans would be nice.

 

[huskies90]

Here you go:

http://youtu.be/IpojZ0COU3Y

 

[TiffinyKaye]

The flash mob! That one was cute.

 

[EleishebaNacht]

Definitely talk to a Cast Member, it is REALLY helpful to have Disney already on your side before you do it so you don't have to worry about a photographer or other CM being too surprised to think. Calling Disney Floral and Gifts can help, they have tons of engagement packages. Also give Lurkyloo's "Disney Weddings Podcast" episode #45 a listen, the title is 101 Ways to Propose at Disney.

 

[anniebean]

Congrats!

My fiancé proposed at CRT right before fireworks started. We had a window seat so was perfect.

And yes! Please propose on the first day or two! Mine waited until the 5th day of our trip!! And a day after our anniversary just to throw me off!

 

[jerseygal]

SO GREAT!

GREAT IDEA!
Propose the first or second day of trip and ENJOY, ENJOY!

 

[Yensid88]

Wow! Thank you all for your feedback, I truly do appreciate it!

There's definitely a lot of food for thought here. I don't know if I'd choose the flash mob myself, but it was definitely a cool video!

So far, I haven't been able to book a table at California Grill to have the nice view of Magic Kingdom as a backdrop. However, the Rose Garden is starting to take an edge over my other ideas since I can capture the moment (that was a great shot TigerandBear!) and my girlfriend LOVES Magic Kingdom. I'm still looking at some other options and am even going to call the Disney Weddings phone number tomorrow just to see what they may suggest.

I sincerely appreciate all your feedback and would continue to welcome any other thoughts or comments!

 

[Vernie822]

My fiancé proposed to me at the rose garden about a month ago. He whispered to the photo pass guy as we were getting ready to stand together for a picture. It was PERFECT! We didn't have a million people like there would've been had we stood right in front of the castle, but the castle was right there and it was amazing. It was like it was just the two of us!!

 

[Vernie822]

I thought I would also mention that you can check out my trip report- the photo pass pics are in there for some inspiration haha. Congratulations- it will be amazing! Also, he did it at the beginning of the trip. Then we had the whole trip to celebrate and enjoy each other's company!

 

[shaybot]

I really love the idea of the rose garden, its incredibly romantic.

For more of a fun twist Ive heard of people proposing at some of the attractions, most notably turtle talk with crush and monsters inc laugh floor. Its probably very easy to get the cast members to go along with it and modify the script in the show to allow you to propose. The crush proposal has a vid on youtube you can probably look up, Im not sure about the laugh floor.

Additionally ive seen many people use the caricature artists who draw the picture of you two with the question will you marry me, and when they show the picture you pop the question. You do have to rely on people watching to keep the secret though, but you get a cool keepsake of the proposal more original than just a photo, which is nice too.

 

[Yensid88]

Ok so this plan is not yet finalized but here's what I'm leaning towards:

1.) Propose in Magic Kingdom at the Rose Garden and have a Photo Pass Cast Member take photos. The proposal would be first thing in the morning to hopefully cut down on crowd size (and my own stress level).

2.) Have flowers or a Disney-themed engagement package delivered to that room while we are away so it is there in the room when we get back that night.

If the Rose Garden is too busy, my Plan B is to propose that evening when we get back to Port Orleans right by the water and then have the Disney flowers or engagement package there at the room.


I've only been to Disney World twice (only once recently) and need the advice of some more seasoned Disney World goers:

1.) Is Disney particularly crowded the first week or two of December? If we went to the Rose Garden first thing in the morning, would that be our best chance at having relative privacy from the crowds?

2.) My girlfriend also loves the photos her and her family took on the opposite side of the Rose Garden with the Castle in the background. Is that a relatively private area from the crowds and is there any chance of getting a Photo Cast Member there?

3.) Any other general advice for proposals around Magic Kingdom?

I apologize if I'm coming across as a little nuts, but even though I love Disney, I'm not nearly as familiar with the parks as my girlfriend (and many of you are) and just want to plan ahead as best as I can. As always, thank you so much for your help!

 

[bigr3ddog]

First 2 weeks of December aren't bad. The crowds are below average, but I'm not sure it'll be as empty as you'd like it to be. The castle is the single most photographed thing in the world. Rose garden or the opposite side will be a little less, but maybe not by much. If you really want an empty park, make an early morning ressie for crystal palace (before the park opens) and get your proposal done before eating, or propose at the end of evening emh when most people have already gone. The downside to the latter approach, however, is that there may not be a Photopass photographer around then.