Valentine's Day Gifts

Happy Propose Day: 10 epic quirky proposals

These quirky romantic proposals take the term ‘crazy for love’ to a new level — ranging from taking up to four years or breaking the law to even putting own life at risk. (Source: Pixabay)

Literature and history are full of great stories of grand gestures when it comes to declaring one’s love and popping that one crucial question. And the New Age is no different. The difference is, now, thanks to John Baird for inventing the video camera — and, thereby, several decades later — we have the opportunity to relive those awesome moments with the lovebirds.

So, in case you’re looking for ideas on how to propose to that special someone, or just want to see how crazy people can get, here are 10 people who have simply outdone themselves — sometimes taking four years or breaking the law to even putting their life at risk (don’t ask us the sense in that, but women like the daredevilry, so it’s okay) — while asking their partners to marry them.
Which is your favourite?

Isaac’s Live Lip-Dub Proposal 

Isaac Lamb proposed to Amy Frankel in the most theatrical way possible. He enlisted the help of over 60 family members and friends who appeared in his lip-dub proposal choreographed to the tune of ‘Marry You’ by Bruno Mars. The proposal was an elaborate affair with costumes, dancing, video cameras, laptops, various props — and not to forget people of all ages, most of them non-dancers. Surprisingly, the proposal was nailed after just four days of practice. Check it out here.

Tim’s Meme Proposal

Timothy Tiah knew that Audrey loved ‘9Gag/Reddit kind of stuff’. An idea crossed his mind in which he visualised a meme that said ‘Shorty (Audrey) Y U No Marry Me?’. He decided to share their story in the format of viral Internet memes. Little did he know that his meme-proposal would also go viral some day. It trended on Twitter Philippines, before catching the fancy of the whole world. Watch Timothy propose to Shorty with an unending grin on his face here.

Dave’s Accelerator Proposal

As far as cute nerdy proposals go, this proposal is exponentially nerdier than the rest. Dave Mosher — whose then-girlfriend Kendra was a science writer — got a physicist friend of his to contact her, saying he had the scoop on a ‘rare crystalline deposit’ found as residue of experiments in the Realistic Heavy Ion Collider at the Brookhaven National Laboratory — in simple terms, a particle accelerator. Dave led Kendra into the accelerator, in which — to her surprise — she did find a crystalline deposit, with a ring attached to it. Watch Dave lead Kendra into the accelerator here.

Home Depot Marriage Proposal

Flash mobs as wedding proposals have become common, this proposal will make you wonder about its setting. There are no posh malls or amusement parks or picturesque locations. Spencer Stout proposed to his boyfriend Dustin at a Home Depot in Salt Lake City in the US. The Home Depot played a catalyst in bringing Spencer and Dustin together, for that’s where Dustin took Spencer after their first date to show him the materials he used for his home improvement projects for his house in Los Angeles. Spencer took three months to perfect every aspect of his proposal plan before finally putting up the show, and producing the ring. Watch his proposal here.

Epic Marriage Proposal From 26 Countries, 4 Years In The Making

Jack Hyer had been asking his girlfriend to marry him for four long years before he actually put all his clips from 26 different countries together to propose to her. And the indispensable reaction video was also added later. Watch Jack’s efforts here.

Guy Falls Off Building Marriage Proposal

This is one proposal that could have gone horribly wrong, but didn’t — thanks to the careful planning by John and his friends. Poor Brooke got the biggest fright of her life when John lost his footing as tried to catch the proposal ring tossed a bit too high in his direction by a friend. Brooke dashed to the edge of the terrace, only to find John very much alive, bouncing on a trampoline and begging her to marry him. Watch John’s crazy proposal here.

The Biker Who Stopped Traffic And Broke The Law For Love

Hector ‘Tank’ Martinez gathered some 300 of his biker ‘bros’ and brought traffic in one of Los Angeles’ busiest streets to a halt to propose to his then long-time girlfriend Paige. Martinez made sure that the bikes gave off pink exhaust fumes to fit the occasion. In case you are wondering, no charges were filed against Martinez and his partners in crime (in this case literally). Watch Martinez’s traffic-halting proposal here.

The Long Exposure Proposal

When North Carolina-based photographer Derek Childress proposed to his girlfriend, Emily, it was ‘timed to perfection’. Well, it had to be, given that it was a long exposure time lapse video (shot over three nights) of his message in lights. The final image was made up of approximately 800 individual 10 second exposures. Watch Derek as he labours over his labour of love (romance is in the puns) here.

Light Writing Proposal from Derick Childress on Vimeo.

The Marine Who Proposed At The White House

US Marine Corps captain Matthew Phelps made history when he became the first gay man to have made a marriage proposal at the White House. Phelps thought the White House was the perfect setting for the proposal as that’s where he and the love of his life, Ben Schock, first met — at the LGBT Pride Month Reception. Phelps told Huffington Post, “When we received an invitation from the Military Partners and Families Coalition to attend the White House holiday tour, the coincidence that it would be the six-month anniversary of our first date — and also to the White House — was too big not to capitalize on.”

The 365-Day Proposal

Dean proposed to his girlfriend Jennifer every day for a whole year — that’s 365 times. That’s some serious perseverance — or just die-hard love. He led her into a scavenger hunt — which concluded at the beach in Aruba with Jennifer chancing upon the video. In addition to those 365 proposals, Dean popped another one — this time with a ring — when she turned around to face him. Watch each of Dean’s proposals and Jennifer’s tearful reaction here.

Beyond Flowers And Candy: Valentine's Day Gifts

I’m a wild-minded creative and an eco-minded pragmatist, the combination of which has sharply honed my consumer superpowers. I also spend a lot of time practicing the art of prosperity—the psycho-spiritual work on breaking mental barriers that keep people from earning and saving money. In addition to writing about money, I cover parenting, adoption, relationships, style, wisdom from maturity and food/travel – you can read more on my blog, www.vanessamcgrady.com/swerve. I’ve witnessed the underbelly of the corporate world during my careers in the energy and health-care sectors, and have sat in more than my share of cubicles. I’m an award-winning freelance journalist who has written for the New York Times, Jezebel, the Seattle Times and other fine media outlets. I have a BA from New York University. As a single mom to a magical little girl, my main goal is to leave the world better than I found it.

The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

A press release from the National Retail Federation that says that each American will spend nearly $150 on Valentine’s Day for flowers, jewelry, candy, and clothes. This adds up to $19.7 billion, with $1.1 billion alone on greeting cards.

I took an informal poll of friends to find out if that’s in line with what they’re planning. The ones who are coupled, mostly, are having modest dinner out, or at home with the person who doesn’t usually cook in charge. Several people scoffed at the “Hallmark holiday” and are appalled at the whole idea of Valentine’s Day. One Seattle woman I know was planning on buying a $950 commemorative Seahawks Native American-carved bentwood box to celebrate the first anniversary of living with her boyfriend. More than a few friends are planning on hunkering down to watch “The Walking Dead” return to TV or getting tickets to “Deadpool.” (I love those friends a tiny little bit more than my other ones).

For those who are averse to spending $150 but who want to go beyond flowers and candy , here are some alternate ideas that say “I love you,” for $25 or less.

Love poems: Don’t bother writing your own. Just. Don’t. Trust me on this. Leave it to the pros and pick up a book of poems, such as Rumi’s The Book of Love: Poems of Ecstasy and Longing ($12.74), Neruda’s Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair ($7.54) or Passionfood: 100 Love Poems ($2-$24) by Neil Astley.

Love essential oil: A heady, sexy scent of clary sage, geranium, patchouli, rose, sweet orange and ylang ylang you can add to massage oil, or simply swipe on to your skin to add that extra mojo. Which can never hurt. $12.95 / 30 ml

Source: www.etsy.com/shop/LindasOtherLife

Anatomical heart pillow cover: It’s like she’s staring directly into my own heart, except she forgot to include my dog and kid. Note that the pillow is not included, but I’m pretty sure you have a 12”x12” boring pillow somewhere in your home that’s dying for a makeover. $25

Source : Forbes