Where to propose in Europe?
 

I'm horrible at planning something like this and don't know Milan well at all, but I would like to make the moment special. Any ideas?
I am flying into Millan in February. I want to have a very romantic and private proposal. The weather plays a huge part because half the flowers are probably dead that time of the year. We were planning a day trip to either Switzerland, Venice & Lake Como. I don't know where to ask her the question! These are my ideas so far.
1)Take a train tour from Milan to Switzerland and ask her the question either on the train station or specific scenic location.
2) Do a day trip to Lake Como and find a romantic place to ask her the question. Only thing I am disappointed about is, it wont be so scenic like it would be during the summer time. =/
3)Go to Venice and do it somewhere near the canal.
4)Do it some where romantic in Milan. Maybe on top of Duomo

I was going to get a photographer and wanted to know if anyone has any recommendation.

A little about us: We both LOVE food and sports. We both work in the medical field. We travel a-lot and is the favorite part of traveling is exploring and trying different food. We enjoy concerts. Thats about sums us up. haha
Any suggestions and advice would help!

What if she refuses?

February weather could be inclement.

Maybe if you get tickets for The Last Supper (and your photographer), you could propose in front of that classic work of art in Milan. There are twelve at a time for 15 minutes, so it won't be totally private, but it would be a classic proposal.

If you want exclusive access to someplace, perhaps after hours, you could contact IC Bellagio (http://www.icbellagio.com). They could also have some creative ideas.

Venice--somewhere

DS did it at the top of Eiffel Tower on a rainy night==so don't let weather deter you

DO NOT take a trip to do it. Make it "happen" where you are. Go "home" and have a toast.

Why did you pick Milan? It must have been for some reason.

Venice is not a day trip from Milan -- it is 4+ hours each way. And you say Venice AND Lake Como as a day trip.


Feb is winter -- even in Italy, and especially in northern Italy, so maybe not some outside location nor on a day tour where you might be stuck out in the elements.

How about a little chapel in the 500 year old cathedral, where generations of her ancestors were all married, dating back to the mid 1500's?

Worked for me...

Go public and go big - in front of the Duomo at night.

We saw a proposal @ Parc Guell in Barcelona and she said yes. I volunteered to help them start off their family by giving them our kids . . .

If some idiot brought a photographer to a proposal to me I would probably fly straight home.

This should be about the 2 of you - private and romantic - not a public display. And forget all of this planning, when the moment is right you will know.

(Caveat: Unless you know that she wants some sort of big production for this - I would find it mortifying. Oh - and any proposal in which you are actually asking without knowing the answer in advance is not even to be considered.)

IMO: Definitely nix the photographer!

A photographer has no more his place for a proposal than at the maternity during delivery.

I would do it in Venice and outer.

The thought of proposing in front of the Last Supper sounds quite interesting. Odd but interesting.

Remember the dialog.
"Tomorrow one of you guys will betray me, sending me to my death. And if that's not enough, another one of you will deny you even know me..."

Perfect setting to profess undying love.

I don't remember where I proposed.
Is it also a U.S. Thing to do ? Or am I the only one who must have said something like. ' by the way should we not get married ? '.
We announced if at a reenactment at Waterloo though.

Ah no it was when we told of our first pregnancy. ('Our'is my notion of romantism).

Both Como and Venice are equally romantic but Como is closer for a day trip. A proposal during a cruise or a meal overlooking lake Como would be the best ever!! We stayed in Argegno in October and even on a dull day that is the most romantic place. Just do it!!!

This sad sad guy registered on Fodors this month.

Is this a serious posting?

If it is, it is truly sad that someone has to ask this question.

I suggest you NOT tell your girlfriend that you solicited an opinion on this matter from a bunch of internet randos.

WoinParis:

<em>Or am I the only one who must have said something like. ' by the way should we not get married? ' </em>

You are not the only one...mine was very similar, and we've been happily married 47 years.

I, too, feel that, even if you want something more "romantic", a marriage proposal should be intimate and personal, not a show.

However...Venice would be my first choice in Italy...at a romantic canal-side restaurant away from the crowds.

Overall first choice would be Ile St Louis (south side with view of Notre Dame on Quai d'Orleans between Rue Boutarel and Rue le Regrattier) in the evening in Paris.

ssander

Take this gondola and propose at the top. It will be absolutely beautiful, unless there's a blizzard:

http://www.matterhornparadise.ch/en/...a._event_17665

And the vivid symbolism - after the proposal it's all downhill.

I agree you should nix the photographer. And please, please do not propose at a train station - I'd be crossing the tracks and taking the next train in the opposite direction.

>>What if she refuses?<<

That's why he's considering the roof of the Duomo.

"That's why he's considering the roof of the Duomo."

Funny.

Not my thing, but I am frankly, old-er. Won't even say where I got engaged.
Seems like many young people in the US today do make a big production of getting engaged, and they all want to capture it in pictures or video, so you have to do what you know your girl friend would like. It will be cold, so hard to depend on good weather. Some places, I would be afraid of dropping the ring. Are you staying at any really lovely hotels with beautiful views? Even if too cold to be on a balcony, standing at the window looking out at snow or having a nice dinner in front of the window, looking out, would be nice. Not over the top spectacular, but romantic and with time to savor the moment.
You could have the ring beautifully packaged and present it to her on a silver tray, sure room service could provide that and flowers.

In cold weather, especially, Venice is too far for a day trip. If you can stay a couple of nights in Venice, that would be lovely, and a nice place to propose - in your hotel room with a nice view of a canal. We stayed at a hotel with windows overlooking a little campo and the Grand Canal. With shutters open, it was fun to play Romeo and Juliet with my husband going down and calling up. OK, kind of silly, but romantic to me, and not silly at all if you hold up a ring box when she looks out.

>>What if she refuses?<<

That's why he's considering the roof of the Duomo.>

who will end up over the edge - him or her with a refusal?

How about proposing at Juliet's Balcony in Verona?

And why is it tradition for the man to propose- why can't women propose?

Why is this male chauvinistic tradition being perpetrated today?

Someone has to be first to suggest marriage I guess but why the man - if he never proposes the girl is left hanging.

Again why should a woman be put on the spot by an out of the blood proposal, assumingly with an expensive ring ready, in a special setting - putting huge pressure on her to say yes?

And again why can't a woman or any partner do it- put the man on the spot?

Such a decision IMO should be done by sitting down together and discussing marriage as a mutual proposal

when a man proposes the woman tells everyone "Oh John proposed to me last night on the roof of the Milan Duomo and I said yes"

can you see the reaction to any man who would say to his family and friends "Jill proposed to me last night; eyebrows would be raised and his manhood called into question.

So I suggest the OP find yes a romantic setting and then discuss marriage and if both then break into joy - a great way to start a marriage.

Some good points, PalenQ.

My husband and I talked a number of times about getting married, finally decided and actually set a date, then went together and I picked out my rings. To this day, it is nice remembering being in the store and trying different rings.

Can't imagine anyone proposing without being quite sure of the answer, but have seen videos of women running away when the proposal was done at a big public event like at a ball game. If I were this young man, I would probably propose before the trip, so it would be a celebration trip.

https://www.bustle.com/articles/4676...etting-engaged

I found it very interesting that an unromantic proposal, poor choice of ring, etc. were top causes for rejected proposals.

Guess old fashioned, simple discussions and decisions are a no-go today.

I would assume or hope the OP has discussed getting married with his fiancee and not popping it out of the blue.

Sassafrass and her future husband are the perfect example of what I think should be done together not unilaterally.

If OP is not 100% positive the fiancee wants it it would be cruel IMO to her to do so on such a trip- and hoping that a romantic setting may persuade her is even worse.

Again I assume OP and fiancee have discussed this together and she is waiting for a presumptive proposal and then in a neat setting - if not it's a bad plan.

She should get the proposal in writing, and pass it by legal counsel before she agrees to anything.

@ colduphere -- oh come on, you know better than that! She can do that AFTER excepting the ring and BEFORE the actual wedding. ;-)

Agree that the marriage has to have been discussed in detail - so you're both SURE - before the actual proposal. And I can;t imagine someone presenting me with a ring I had never seen.

In fact, DH proposed to me at a very romantic moment - in bed in a wonderful suite with our balcony looking out the Bay of Naples - with champagne and choc strawberries for before and after. But we had been living together for several years and had picked the ring out together a couple of weeks earlier - had it specially made (I had to control him, he wanted a stone too big. I like substantial but NOT ostentatious).

If you haven;t had all of the discussions around marriage and all it entails - it's way too early to propose. Or you will likely end up as half of those whose marriage doesn't make it. (I always think they are the people with the proposal in skywriting but who never talked about how many kids they wanted or if she would continue her career, where they wanted to live, and a million other more intimate issues.)

I do not know when in February you are going, but if its late in the month you could do it in Venice sometime during Carnivale.
http://www.carnevale.venezia.it/en/

Even though the city will be busy, there are times, and places to get away. It would be memorable for sure.

It does not take 4 hours to get there from Milan but I would spend the night regardless.

Amazing what you can find with google

http://www.awesomeproposalideas.com

Actually I proposed in a restaurant according to my wife. But it was a done deal already.
I have no recollection. Shame.

I cannot imagine a "scene", especially a rigged one, for a proposal. And I absolutely cannot imagine a photographer on board for such an intimate moment. My DH just looked at me sideways one morning after we crawled out of bed and were sipping a coffee and said "Let's get married and have a party." So we did.We got married on the street in front of our apartment in DC. The police halted the traffic for a half-hour, our gay friend who worked for the city government in DC said the vows and signed the papers, we all retired to the bar/café across the street, and we had a ball.

Then we got married again here in France, which was a hoot. We are so married in so many places it's a blizzard of paperwork.

We had a lot of fun picking out our rings. They are made of prehistoric woolly mammoth tusk. That has a certain resonance with us that most other people would not appreciate, I think, but we live in the land of prehistory and feel its presence every day and especially every night. Besides, I hate diamonds and am not a jewel freak - I'm a cheap date and don't like Champagne, either.

KJA - I have a friend who, after some reflection, dropped the guy but kept the ring! Can you imagine anyone doing that? That should be against the law.

I remember the first time I proposed. I just pulled out the piece of paper and read the words my mother had written for me.

Only the OP will know what his intended fiancé's preferences are for the actual proposal...the times they are a-changin...get on Pinterest if you're curious and look for "proposal pictures"...everything from kid's birthday parties to proposals have become a production. There are many who have high expectations of their significant other when it comes to this.

To each their own. As for mine, he proposed on a quiet hike in Colorado with no one around, and it was perfect. He carried the ring around in his pocket for a few days while the box dug into his leg just waiting for the right moment. OP, I trust that you know what your intended really wants out of a proposal. Don't overthink it too much. Wait for the right moment. Plan a trip that seems right for you both, including those places that you would both really enjoy. If that includes Venice or Lake Como or whatever, just go there like you would on a normal trip. I would personally recommend you drop scheduling a "proposal" photographer, that way you can propose at the moment that feels right. But that's me. If you feel like you need a photographer to capture all of this, why don't you schedule one for the very end of your trip after you've proposed? It could be your engagement photo session instead, which would still give you very memorable photos that you both would enjoy. And then the pressure is off and will allow your moment to be much more private and natural.

Actually I proposed in a restaurant according to my wife. But it was a done deal already.
I have no recollection. Shame.>

Ah get plastered and you have to live with the aftermaths, literally, for the rest of your life or so far anyway.

;-)
You got that one straight PQ but she was the one who needed to get drunk to say yes.
She is the one who is nice beautiful and intelligent.
I am the rude and rough one.
But I make great children. So she kept me.

>>It does not take 4 hours to get there from Milan . . .<<

It does when you factor in getting from hotel to station and from the station to say St Mark's - and the same in reverse.

>> . . . but I would spend the night regardless.<<

Exactly

Milan to Venice faster trains take about 2.5 hours but yes to a cherished proposal site may take another hour -longer if you as many get lost.

OP has not said ho long he or they have -just one day? Coming from where? Never came back to respond?

What do you think OP?