If your relationship is getting serious and you want to make an official legal commitment to each other, you’ve gotta start with a meaningful marriage proposal.
Now it’s up to you to come up with a thoughtful, creative way to “pop the question.” After all, your friends all gush about the jaw-dropping, unforgettable ways they were proposed to, so you have to outdo them.
Good proposals should involve a hobby, interest, or location for which both of you share a fondness. If that happens to be a car or truck, The News Wheel is here to help! Here are some creative ways to involve a car in your marriage proposal.
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Write on the windshield
An affordable option that doesn’t take extensive preparation, you can draw your message on the windshield or windows of your partner’s car. That way, they will see it on their way to work — or leaving work, if you decorate it outside of their office. Scratch a message into the ice/snow during winter, or use temporary paints — like the kind you use to celebrate high school graduations.
Hide the ring in the car
If the two of you have a long road trip planned in which you’ll be spending a lot of time in the car together, hide the ring in the car when you’re packing it up — perhaps in the glove box, in the trunk, or on the backside of the steering wheel. Leave the moment up to chance based on when your partner eventually discovers it. Just be careful they’re not driving and lose control!
Use the GPS
Many cars nowadays have built-in navigation features. Program a secret destination into the GPS and have your partner follow the step-by-step directions to the unknown destination. When they arrive, have a sign or display set up asking the big question.
Use the audio system
Record an audio file and play it through the infotainment system, whether that’s as a CD, plugged-in MP3 player, or your smartphone. When your partner turns on the radio, your personal proposal message will play aloud for them to hear. You can enhance the vocal recording with background music and audio clips from videos of you two together. This is nice to do if you’re long-distance and can’t be there in person. Just send them the CD or audio file to play the next time they’re in the car.
Junk in the trunk
This method works best in sedans where the contents in the cargo area are hidden. Fold the rear seats down and fill the trunk with balloons, then set the seats back upright. Later, ask your partner to get something from the trunk of the car. When they open it, the balloons will soar out, revealing a sign in the trunk that reads, “Will you marry me?”
Spell the words “MARRY ME” in cars
This option involves a LOT of assistance from friends and family (or very helpful strangers). If you can rally a few dozen cars and have them park so they spell the words “MARRY ME?”, you can view it from above using a helicopter, video drone, or from the top of a building. It’s a big undertaking, but it’s been done before (to good effect!).
Burn rubber
If you have access to an empty parking lot and are a talented driver, you might be able to spell “MARRY ME?” using the tire tracks left on the pavement; but if you mess up, you’ll have to start over somewhere else.
Simply propose in the car
If you’ve spent a lot of time with your partner in a certain treasured vehicle (either in the front or back seats), propose in the car itself. Play some meaningful music on the radio and drive to somewhere romantic.
Before you propose, set up a camera in the vehicle to capture the moment and the reaction, especially if you won’t be by your partner’s side the whole time. If your partner has expressed that he/she does not want a ring, buy them a car instead! It might be a much more treasured memento.
No matter how you end up proposing, remember that it’s not the engagement or even the wedding that matters, it’s every day together that follows. Good luck!
Aaron is unashamed to be a native Clevelander and the proud driver of a Hyundai Veloster Turbo (which recently replaced his 1995 Saturn SC-2). He gleefully utilizes his background in theater, literature, and communication to dramatically recite his own articles to nearby youth. Mr. Widmar happily resides in Dayton, Ohio with his magnificent wife, Vicki, but is often on the road with her exploring new destinations. Aaron has high aspirations for his writing career but often gets distracted pondering the profound nature of the human condition and forgets what he was writing… See more articles by Aaron.