The Most Romantic Places to Get Engaged, According to Couples Who Have Done It

“My family and I own a timeshare near Tulum, Mexico in a place called Akumal, which means ‘place of turtles’ in Mayan. We started going there 25 years ago when the highway from Cancun to Playa del Carmen was a dirt road. The first day my now husband and I arrived to Akumal, I wanted to show him around the area, as he was unfamiliar with Akumal and Tulum. So we went by ourselves to swim in a cenote and then to bike in the pyramids of Tulum. And as we were biking and stopping along monuments in the Mayan ruins in Coba, I realized how my old world and new worlds had collided with my boyfriend being there with me. Just before sunset and right before the ruins were going to close, we were still climbing the tallest Mayan pyramid in the area. Pablo said he was tired, so we sat down at the top to admire the jungle beneath us. He always finds my hand to hold when we're together, and his sweet gestures inspired me to start telling him how happy I was with him. And just then and there, he proposed by saying ‘Well then why don't you marry me?’ I NEVER expected that to be the formal proposal, we were still dripping wet from the cenote.” —Andrea Marcos

“Although my husband and I had been together for seven years already, ​I was completely surprised when he proposed to me during our summer vacation in Rome. We were traveling for a friend's wedding in another part of Italy, and he seized the abroad opportunity to surprise me on top of a hill with picturesque views of the city​. The most special part: He hired a photographer who took an hour of engagement photos beginning with our actual engagement! I cherished the private engagement, and I am grateful for the photos that captured our emotions so genuinely; l will remember this moment forever.” —Lucy Madden

“In May, we traveled to Sonoma for a friend's wedding with plans to take the next week and a half to drive down the Pacific Coast Highway. Two days after the wedding, we stopped in Monterey and stayed at The Intercontinental: The Clement Monterey and were upgraded to a gorgeous suite that was bigger than our Hoboken apartment. The view from the private balcony was unreal and while I was out taking photos of the crystal clear water, Alex came out and asked me to turn around. He was there on one knee, and I was so shocked and overjoyed I am pretty sure I just started crying and saying ‘yes’ over and over.” —Amanda Barrett

“I can’t recommend the Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park in the province of Cádiz, Spain enough. It’s beautiful, secluded (which is great for a more private proposal), and if you’re at all an outdoorsy type, you’ll love walking along the trails until you find the perfect proposal spot. My husband and I were taking a trip through southern Spain and Portugal. Though he’d been to Europe several times, it was my first time so the proposal made it extra special. We then drove to Malaga to celebrate our engagement.” — Kelly Vaughn

“He proposed to me on Mallory Square Pier in Key West, at sunset, on my birthday weekend. He knew exactly how important my birthday is to me, he knew how romantic the pier was, and how much I would love the sunset. With two of our friends standing close by, he made sure that the moment was captured from every angle to ensure we had those memories secured forever.” — Richard Werhle

“My fiancé and I got engaged in Thingvellir National Park in Iceland. His family and I put together the trip for his 30th birthday, so a proposal was the last thing I expected! There were hundreds of people touring the park that day, but he took me on a more secluded route where we could be alone, but still surrounded by the beautiful scenery. I turned around to stare over at one of the waterfalls, and he got down on one knee while pretending to take a picture. Instead of a fancy dress and makeup, I was wearing hiking boots and several layers of pants to keep warm. The setting was just perfect for our relationship. Our shared passion for outdoors is something that's brought us closer over the years, so the idea of starting this big adventure in the most beautiful place we'd ever been was simply magical. It was also pretty cool to know that we got engaged where they filmed Game of Thrones.” — Mary Kavanaugh

“Our trip to Ireland wasn’t an engagement trip – we went to visit my husband’s sister during her college semester abroad in Dublin. My mother had mentioned that we might want to stay in a castle-hotel, so we found Ashford Castle online and decided to book a night there when we drove to the western coast. We had been together for seven years so by this point, I’d given up thinking ‘maybe he’ll propose’ every time we took a trip. When we took a walk outside the castle, I was so shocked when Teddy proposed. Getting engaged far away from home where using the phone and internet was expensive turned out to be a great thing. We called our parents the day we got engaged, then we had the rest of the trip to ourselves without pressure to notify more people or begin planning. It was lovely to just enjoy that time together, thinking and dreaming about our wedding, without having to retell the story or start looking into venues.” — Liz Frankel

“A few months ago my boyfriend proposed to me in Venice, Italy. Talk about romantic! It was my first trip to Italy, and I found that there’s something truly magical about the city of Venice. He proposed on the first night of our trip, which is definitely a risky move, but it made the rest of the trip more of a celebration. Overall, what made the proposal special was that even though we were in the middle of the city, the streets seemed to completely clear out at night, and it was just the two of us standing on a small ornate bridge overlooking the canals.” — Julianne Cort

“London has always been the most special city for me, ever since I had studied abroad there and fell in love with it. My fiancé, Niko, had never been and we decided to go there together as a pit stop on our way to Greece, where his family is from. Even though Niko had never been there, he often heard me talk about how much I loved Hyde Park, so he knew he would wait until we walked around there to propose. Specifically, he was waiting to see my eyes ‘light up’ over a special place in Hyde Park that I recognized, and it happened when I saw the Italian Gardens — a beautiful area right between Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. The sky had just opened up and the pictures from that day captured the wonder of the moment so well!” —Kirsten Tsitsos

“For me, getting engaged in Hawaii was so special because it's where I grew up and after many years of dating, I finally got to share my experiences and culture with Jason. Hawaii encompasses all the things we really love — incredible food, the ocean, relaxed vibes — so it felt very natural to us both. As idyllic as it is in pictures, it's even more so in real life.” — Natalie King

“I’d planned to propose to my boyfriend on the Broadway Bridge underneath the iconic Portland, Oregon neon sign just above Old Town. We had to be on bikes, we’re always on bikes in Portland! I need to put something on his finger… I figure a keychain fits perfectly on a finger and I can even attach an engraved bottle opener! We hop on our bikes, but I’m too focused on getting to the bridge where I’ll pop the question. Of course, I get lost, and of course I’m as frantic as I can be. And it dawns on me… ‘Duh, Brandon, the neon Portland sign isn’t on because it’s daylight out.’ I ask Mitchell if he wants to pull over to the side of the bridge to take a selfie. He complies, and I offer him a beer. ‘You’re probably going to need a bottle opener for that beer,’ I say. So I reach into my bag and pull out the ring-like box that the bottle opener keychain is in. Helmet on, sun beating down, I get down on one knee open the box and ask, ‘Mitchell, will you marry me?’” — Brandon Weibrenner

“Work had sent Peter and I to Dijon, France with a group of students. Peter originally was going to propose when we made our way to Paris. He had planned to do it at the Eiffel Tower. Long story short, he couldn't wait and proposed as we were walking down a quaint deserted street after a romantic dinner in Dijon. We had the next day off and rented a car and drove through the French countryside stopping in the town where ‘Chocolat’ was filmed. — April Johanns