Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

The Absolute Worst Ways To Propose To Your Partner

Strange wedding proposal
Photo by Gift Habeshaw on Unsplash

Reddit user aloe_veracity asked: 'What is the worst possible way to propose?'

From our friends and families' own cringy stories, to the tales captured on social media, we've all witnessed our fair share of proposals that totally missed the mark or were just plain awkward.

In fact, most of us have come across so many of these stories, we all have an idea of what the worst proposal in the world would be.


Redditor aloe_veracity asked:

"What is the worst possible way to propose?"

Stealing the Spotlight

"At someone else's wedding or wedding reception."

- N-y-s-s-a

"I had to stop my friend from doing that. One of the nicest dudes ever, just a little naive."

"Fortunately, this was before the wedding, I didn’t slap the ring out of his hand or anything like that. I just very clearly told him it was a bad idea whilst at the pub."

- Polite_as_h**l

Clearly a Subplot from 'Grey's Anatomy'

"Arrange a fancy date night with your girlfriend, including dinner at a posh restaurant."

"In the middle of the meal, fake a brain aneurysm. Bite into a concealed blood pack, collapse, and fall onto the floor, the whole bit. A 'doctor' or a 'nurse' planted at an adjacent table rolls you onto your back, checks you, and says that you're not breathing and you have no pulse."

"He or she rips open your shirt to apply a defibrillator... revealing, 'WILL YOU MARRY ME?' written on your chest in red body paint."

"Pull out the ring, and say, 'I can't live without you, baby.'"

- Thatimensfaa

So Romantic

"Chucking the ring at them and saying, 'Here, wear this.'"

- Kai6180

"My friend got engaged like this and thought it was so cute for some reason. They did not last."

- Bada**Bumblebee

Wedding Dress Included

"My mom told me that my cousin’s girlfriend got tired of waiting for him to propose (apparently he said he would but hadn’t gotten around to actually doing it) that she straight up bought a wedding dress and told him they were getting married."

"He said, 'Okay.'"

"I believe they’ve been married for about 20 years now."

- PorkrindsMcSnacky

So Nervous

"My husband proposed to me while I was driving. At night. On a very busy, twisting road."

"He had a big proposal planned but then got super nervous and kind of just blurted out the proposal while we were in the car."

"We celebrate our 25th anniversary this fall. My thought was if I had the power to make him THAT nervous, I was in a pretty solid position."

"Honestly, it's not how you're asked; it's who's doing the asking."

- Neener216

Worth Waking Up For

"Mine might be the worst. I was a broke 19-year-old and thought that if I can't spend money on a good proposal, I'd go with the element of surprise."

"I woke her up at 3:00 AM and gave a speech about how we were going to be together forever and propose."

"Her response: ARE YOU F**KING KIDDING ME...'"

"We've been married 14 years this October."

- the_navillus

Red Flags in the Morning

"I got woken up an hour before my alarm clock rang. He just came home from visiting his parents for the weekend."

"No elaborate speech, just a 'Now or later?'"

"Me, being an unarticulated zombie for the first hour after being woken up, managed to mumble, 'Now.'"

"I got the ring stuck on my finger. It was slightly too small. And then I just went to work."

"Later that day, he reminded me that I still 'have to' say yes. Of course I did."

"A day later, colleagues figured out he never asked. He just demanded. So I told him to ask me, but he said since I already said yes, he didn't need to."

"After a little back and forth, he asked."

"I should have seen that red flag waving in front of my face, but it took two years to see it."

- Mondfairy

Practical Purposes Only

"This is the story of how my parents got engaged."

"Dad: Hey, you should move in with me."

"Mom: No. Not until we're married."

"Dad: Okay. Fine. Let's get married."

"Mom: Wait. Are you seriously asking me like this?"

"Dad: Yes. Why not. Marry me and then you can move in with me."

"And then they got married."

"It did not go well."

- biddily

Short and Sweet

"Proposing via text."

- Salty-Entertainer-29

"will u marry me?"

"k."

- aloe_veracity

Public Proposals

"For me personally, the worst would be any grand gesture around people. I’d rather you ask during a cozy night on the couch."

"My ex and I just talked and knew we were going to do it. We picked up the ring together and were walking out of the store. He bent down on his knee at a bench, and no one was paying attention. I’ll never forget how precious that was to me."

"I was at a large music festival last year and saw a guy propose to his girl quietly in the back of a crowd. No one seemed to notice that either, but I saw it and started crying to myself at how beautiful it was. She was snuggling into him the whole rest of the set."

- ApprehensiveBanana07

Quite the Rebound

"Say the wrong name. Other than that, you'll be fine."

- shipsaway9

"Something similar happened to a family friend. Someone she met online proposed to her within weeks of meeting her with a gorgeous diamond ring."

"She got caught in the moment and said, 'Yes.' It was at a fairly busy restaurant and everyone started clapping and cheering for them."

"When she got home, she took off the ring to send us a photo of it, and that's when she noticed that there was someone's else initial engraved on the inside."

"Turns out that the guy's ex-fiancee had broken up with him just months before their wedding. He met my friend online and decided to ask her to marry him instead out of spite and possibly because he didn't want to lose his deposit on the wedding venue and catering."

- Dane_k23

Fooled Ya

"Propose after being caught cheating."

- BeneficialSomewhere

The Argument to Win Them All

"While in an argument about wanting the get married, bring out the ring and just say, 'Here.'"

"A friend of a friend was 'proposed' to this way and thought it was the cutest. The red flags were waving themselves."

- royal_rose_

A Different Take

"Propose from prison."

- No-Art-9083

"Propose in prison."

- aloe_veracity

"Propose ON TOP of a prison."

- Ok_Wave_7359

A Jarring Experience

"Shock them by proposing to them right after they've told you that they've lost their job."

- BroadcasterX

Proposing or being proposed to is supposed to be one of the most special moments in a couple's life, signifying all that is to come. Imagining how someone could approach this moment in some of these ways is really staggering.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

Screenshots of Will Thilly breakdancing
New York Post/YouTube

Guy Breakdances His Way Into Town Hall Meeting To Ask Why Taxes Went Up—And Becomes An Instant Legend

Cranford, New Jersey town council candidate Will Thilly went viral after dancing his way up to the podium at a recent town hall meeting to ask why property taxes in Cranford have gone "up so much."

Thilly's unique tax protest began when he danced his way up to the podium and continued to dance even after a Cranford Township official said, "Mr. Thilly, I started your time." People laughed when Thilly held up a finger to stop the official and continued to dance anyway.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Brian Kilmeade
Fox News

Fox News Host Apologizes After His Suggestion That Homeless People Be Euthanized Sparks Outrage

Fox and Friends host Brian Kilmeade was criticized for suggesting that homeless people with mental health issues get "involuntary lethal injection" after the murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a train in North Carolina—and was swiftly condemned for an insincere apology several days after the fact as many are calling for Fox News to terminate his contract.

Zarutska was stabbed to death at the East/West Boulevard station on the Lynx Blue Line in Charlotte last month; her killer, a homeless man with a history of mental health issues, has since been charged with first-degree murder.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sofía Vergara
Bryan Steffy/Getty Images

Sofía Vergara Reveals She Missed Presenting At The Emmys Due To 'Craziest' Medical Emergency

Almost everyone has a favorite television show they like to turn on at the end of a rough day or binge-watch for a bit of nostalgia, and most of us pretty frequently check out new shows to see if we can spot a favorite.

Needless to say, the Emmys award show is a huge deal every year, honoring all of the people involved in the projects that are currently gracing the small screen, and basically anyone who's anyone will attend.

Keep ReadingShow less
Rep. Nancy Mace
CNN

Nancy Mace Just Tried To Claim She's Never 'Dehumanized' Her Colleagues—And The Internet Brought The Receipts

South Carolina Republican Representative Nancy Mace was called out for hypocrisy after she claimed on CNN that Democrats in Congress have been "dehumanizing" Republicans, a move she would "never" do—despite her record of doing just that.

Speaking to anchor Katie Bolduan while the search for the suspect who killed far-right activist Charlie Kirk was ongoing, Mace objected to Bolduan's observation that she was using "us v. them" language, only saying that things are "very one-sided right now." She also suggested that the situation is so bad for her that she's actually afraid of "just walking out in public."

Keep ReadingShow less
A younger man stand on top of a mountain with his arms outreached and his face looking to the sky. It's a beautiful day and lakes and mountains are the backdrop.
Photo by Kyle Loftus on Unsplash

People Who Quit Their High-Paying Jobs For Happiness Explain How It Turned Out

Sometimes money isn't the goal.

It is a BIG goal for many.

Keep ReadingShow less