When you start planning your marriage proposal this is the first question you need to ask yourself: ” Does my partner would love the public proposal? Or she would rather have it in private?”. A marriage proposal is a very important step in every couple’s life and of course, you might want to declare your love to the world publicly, but would your partner enjoy it as well? If the answer is ” YES” then here are 7 mistakes to avoid when you planning your public proposal in New York.

You involve too many people in your plan

When planning a public proposal the first desire you have is to involve as many people as possible in it and this creates a lot of difficulties. You might want to surprise your partner with a flash mob proposal in Times Square and have a big billboard above displaying the pictures of you two.  And you want your family to have a surprise appearance. In theory, this might sound like an easy plan, but in reality, it will have a lot of obstacles. Just imagine walking in Times Square, the most popular area in New York City, where on the busiest days the pedestrian count is as high as 450,000. Where numerous street artists, dancers, food vendors, and protestors are working and where it is impossible to control the environment around you. As the flash mob dancers start to dance it will attract even more people and the crowd will start to form, at this moment it is hard for you to get on one as you simply might be overrun by the crowd. And it is even more difficult for a photographer to capture your proposal as he hardly will have the space for it. The family will try to come and congratulate you and would have to get through the crowd and dancing group.

Instead: If you still desire to propose in public, surprise your partner with just the Billboard proposal. In this case, you might be away from the crowd or even across the street from the billboard and have enough space to get on one knee and propose. You can also be at the restaurant that is overlooking the billboard and still surprise your partner with the grand gesture.

You don’t know the city regulations

The biggest misconception when you plan a public proposal is that it’s free and you can do whatever you want, which is not true. Most of the parks in New York City have a list of rules and regulations and you can easily get into trouble over it. Most public locations don’t allow amplified music, big structures, alcohol, fireworks, sparkles, drones, chairs, confetti, and so on. The last thing you want on your proposal day is to deal with the park rangers or police, so before planning your grand public proposal check the regulations first.

Instead: Hire a professional proposal planning company that will deal with all the paperwork and can resolve the issues if anything happens. If the company that you are working with says that you don’t need a permit and you can just  “sneak in and do your thing”, most likely it’s a new company that doesn’t know the regulations either, so be aware of who you are hiring.

You choose the most common location

Sometimes the biggest mistake you can make is by going with the most common, obvious proposal location. It is not special and chances are there will be other couples proposing at the same time as you are. If you decide to propose on a Saturday during the day at Central Park, be prepared to see couples getting engaged around the most popular locations. There is nothing wrong with choosing the picture-perfect spot but sometimes the location itself will give away the surprise and seeing other couples getting engaged around you might take away that feeling of uniqueness.

Instead:  Even with the most popular proposal locations, the timing needs to be right. You can easily pull a unique and one-of-a-kind proposal in Central Park, but your planner will need to help you choose the best time for it.

You might have an anxiety

Sometimes things look better in theory than in real life. And you might think you want public attention but when the moment comes you might experience major anxiety and stress. If you are not ready to propose in front of a crowd, strangers recording you on their phones and shouting ‘ congratulations’ to you, then the public proposal might not be the best option. For us, the whole idea of a marriage proposal is to make it as smooth and stress-free as possible, so that our client can actually enjoy the moment and create a memory with his partner that will stay with them forever.

Instead: Even in a public place, you can have more or less private options. For example, even if you are proposing in Central Park you can get a permit and secure a location for just the two of you. You still will get that excitement of proposing in a public place but will have a little privacy as well.

You don’t keep your partner’s wishes in mind

This is probably the biggest mistake you can make when planning your marriage proposal. What might seem to be ‘cool’ to you, might be absolutely opposite for your partner. That is why we are always asking what type of person the partner is, would she like the public attention or would prefer to have a private moment and family celebration after. If you have doubts, consult with a close friend or a family member who knows your partner. But don’t put your partner in an uncomfortable situation where she will be embarrassed to show her feelings. A marriage proposal is a very happy moment and this day will stay with you forever, make sure you both enjoyed it.

Instead: If you know your partner is a shy person and she won’t appreciate public attention, you can compromise. We had a client who wanted to propose on a pier with the huge Marry Me letters, but knowing his partner won’t like it he obtained the permit and closed the pier for his event. He still proposed in the public setting as people would gather around the pier and cheer but it was also private as no one else can be there and he had an intimate moment with his partner. When planning a marriage proposal there are lots of things you will need to keep in mind, that is why we are always recommending working with a professional team who knows how to pull the perfect proposal. Public proposals are fun and exciting and if done right they would be the best memory of your relationship. If you are planning to propose this summer and dont know where to start, contact us now at head@proposal007.com and our experienced team will help you to create the most unforgettable marriage proposal experience.

Tatiana Caicedo