If you’ve decided to ask the woman you love to marry you, forget about the cute and the overly dramatic.

What NOT to do

  • In other words, don’t ask a skywriter to write “Will you marry me, Sue?” in the sky. Chances are, she’ll be relaxing with her eyes closed and you’ll feel awkward trying to get her to look up.
  • Don’t go to a basketball game and ask the scoreboard folks to display your proposal. We’ve seen those videos already, haven’t we?
  • Don’t ask your friends to choreograph a dance for the event and then upload the video to YouTube. Been there, done that.

Instead, ask your beloved to marry you in the most romantic way possible, in the most romantic place possible: on the beach!

Why is a beach proposal the most romantic of marriage proposals?

Let’s paint a picture:

You’re on the white sandy beach that comprises the shoreline of Virginia Beach, the most romantic of Atlantic beaches. It’s a bit later in the day, so other beachgoers are at a minimum. The sun is starting to set behind you, casting lovely shadows on the Atlantic Ocean and the sand. (With any luck, the moon will have started to rise and it will cast a lovely moonbeam on the beach.)

The surf is crashing on the shore. The gulls and sea terns are cawing in the air. A gentle sea breeze is wafting the sea grass on the dunes to the west as you walk hand-in-hand along the shore.

You turn to the woman with whom you want to spend the rest of your life. You get down on a knee. She looks at you quizzically. You reach in your pocket, take out the engagement ring box, open it, extend it toward her (“Gosh, her hair looks pretty as the wind gently blows it on her cheek,” you think) and you say the words you’ve wanted to say to her since the day you met: “I love you so much; I want to share my life with you. Will you do me the extreme honor of marrying me?”

She gasps. Maybe she starts to cry a little. But she’s smiling that smile you love so much, and it’s the biggest smile you’ve ever seen on her. She can’t speak from emotion, but she nods her head yes, yes, yes, yes! She gasps for breath and says “YES!!!!”

You place the ring on her finger. You rise and take her in your arms. The wind is blowing and you hear a wave fall gently on the beach as you take her face in your hands and kiss her with all the love and emotion you can muster.

Then you both step back, smile big grins at each other, laugh, and hug hug some more as you swing her around in your arms.

Now, that’s a proposal neither of you will ever forget.

In addition to the proposal, how about having your wedding here? We’ve put together a free wedding guide to help with picking the dress, florists, rings, bakers, and more.