In yours and your partner’s lives, there may not be any five minute period that you both look back on as often as the five minutes it will take for you to ask your partner to marry you. These are the minutes you will tell everyone about when they ask how he did it. “How did he propose?”
They are nerve-wracking and awe inducing. They are thrilling and scary. They are ultimately some of the most fulfilling minutes of your life, minutes you’ll return to over and over again in good times and hard times, and every time you remember just how much you love one another.
And for all those reasons, you’ll want to make those five minutes special. That is why we’ve compiled this list of some of our favorite, unexpected locations in Minneapolis to take one knee. We can’t tell you what to say. (You’ve probably worked that part out already.) But maybe, we can give you some inspiration for where to say it.
Here are our favorite photo-worthy locales for your Twin Cities proposal.
1. Boom Island Park
Whether you want to do it in the privacy of a tree-lined path, or sneak it into a picnic at one of the park’s many picnic tables, or arrange a photographer and let the city skyline be your backdrop, it is hard to beat the beauty of Boom Island. Another perk? Boom Island is in Saint Anthony Main on the hip East side of the River, which means there is no shortage of places within walking distance to get a glass of bubbles after she says yes!
2. Centennial Lakes Park, Edina
Between the wrought iron bridges, the labyrinthine walking path, and the ten-acre lake, the “urban oasis” of Centennial Lakes Park offers photo ops galore. If you are doing a winter proposal, you’ll be hard pressed to find more beautiful grounds as this lake is groomed daily for ice skaters all winter long. If you propose here, you may just want to have a photographer at the ready.
3. Eden Prairie Bluffs
The Eden Prairie Bluffs are the perfect location for free spirits and outdoor enthusiasts to pop the question. The landscape is stunning. Whether you preface the moment with a long hike, or simply roll out a blanket and pop a bottle of wine amid the tall grasses, the Eden Prairie Bluffs are a beautiful place to spend a day, and to ask the person you love to spend her life with you.
4. Sculpture Garden
Photo Credit: Isaac Krause (left)
As though getting engaged surrounded by world-class works of art isn’t convincing enough, there’s a sculpture that says ‘love.’ The beautifully landscaped yards and broad array of art will give you great variety of backdrops to choose from, and with Esker Grove and the whole of Loring Park nearby, finding a place to have your first toast as an engaged couple should be a breeze!
5. Stone Arch Bridge
Photo Credit: Keskuri Photography (far right)
You’re probably familiar with the Stone Arch Bridge. That’s because this place is gorgeous. Couples have been admiring the reflection of this bridge over the Mississippi for 136 years. Our favorite way to propose here is to make a day of it by walking or biking to the bridge. If you do it early in the season, you can look forward to making this journey your first spring outing every year.
6. Rice Park
Photo Credits: Chris Emott (left), Michaela Graw Photography (right)
Rice Park is a beautiful location year round, but we think it is especially magical for winter proposals. Located in the heart of Saint Paul’s historic center, Rice Park is surrounded by beautiful stone buildings that will have your proposal feeling timelessly romantic. Around the winter holiday season, the city lights every tree in the park to create a dazzling display that sparkles nearly as much as the ring you’ll be giving her.
7. Minnesota State Fair
This is the perfect place for a whimsical, unexpected proposal. Everyone goes to the fair expecting a good time, and yet who thinks they are going to be proposed to here? Because it’s a great place to go in groups, getting a good photograph of your proposal should be easy… you’ll have plenty of friends and family in tow to take the pictures. In fact, by proposing at the fair, you’ve guaranteed your whole proposal day will feel like a celebration. Another perk… how fun will it be years from now when you bring your kids to the state fair and show them the spot you two got engaged?
8. On the Riverfront
We already covered the Stone Arch Bridge and Boom Island Park. For this suggestion we mean get down there, right on the river. You’d be surprised by how private some of the little nooks and crannies along the river are, which means the spot you propose will always feel like your very own, special place. A riverfront proposal makes for distinctly cosmopolitan engagement pictures, which will look amazing on the walls of your downtown loft apartment. Seriously, this is the perfect place for a city-dweller’s proposal.