Looking to propose to the love of your life or know someone who is? I’ve put together a guide on how to plan the perfect proposal, with the help of my friends at Birmingham Picnic Company!

Listen.

Odds are, if talks about engagement have been serious between you and your significant other, she’s probably hinted at how she would like a proposal to go. It’s a bit hard to do retroactively, but my biggest piece of advice before planning the perfect proposal is to listen. For example, if she has specifically requested her parents or friends be there, try your best to honor that. If you know she hates surprises, stop reading this blog. 😉

Get friends and family involved.

The next step is an important one—get her friends and family involved! While you may know her well, they know her just as well, if not better. They can help you bring personal elements to the surprise, help provide suggestions or hints for the ring and bring in a feminine perspective, which never hurt anything! Friends and family can also help you pull off the surprise—don’t be afraid to delegate decorations, food or scheming!

Avoid avoid avoid.

I know, I know … lying is a sin! But for the sake of a surprise, you’re allowed to dodge questions and be as evasive as you can. Once you figure out when and where, do whatever you can to keep it a surprise and throw her off the scent! This is where friends and family may come in. Let her think she’s having a girl’s night out with her friends, make it a seemingly normal day or tell her you’re having dinner with family and have her end up at the engagement location.

Let the Birmingham Picnic Company set the stage. 

Set up a beautiful picnic with the help of my friends at the Birmingham Picnic Company. Co-founders Bayly and Bri design and curate picnics for couples, completely handling set-up, design, curation and tear-down. Once you fill out an inquiry form, they contact you to ask all details, from color scheme to time and location. With their large inventory of sourced items, they bring your desired colour scheme and theme into consideration and design something perfect for your picnic. If you don’t have specific requests, let them run free with their design ideas to plan your perfect proposal!

And if you want a photographer (hehe, me) to capture this special moment, you know the drill!

Pop the question! 

It’s the moment you’ve both been waiting for. Once you get her there, all that’s left to do is get down on one knee and pop the question! Prep a small speech, play some music and tell her why you want to spend the rest of your life pursuing and loving her.

Celebrate! 

Once you hear the resounding “Yes!” it’s time to celebrate! Cherish this moment and celebrate with family and friends.

The Birmingham Picnic Company was started by besties Bayly + Bri. They offer luxury pop-up picnics to celebrate the big moments of life. From birthdays to bridal showers to proposals, they provide dining ware, florals, stylized decor, a Bluetooth speaker, and everything needed to make each personalized picnic perfect. Learn about this fun company and book your luxury pop-up picnic on their website or by visiting their Instagram.