Our wedding blogger Sunny got engaged at Sandals Emerald Bay and shares her top tips for proposing on vacation!

Sunny here! I was really excited to share my proposal story with all of our readers! (FYI prepare for major cheesy moments).  I was so touched by how much work and finesse my fiancé put into arranging his proposal that I had to ask him how he managed to pull it all off while we were on vacation. He was sweet enough to share some of his secrets for pulling off the perfect proposal while on vacation and now I’m sharing them with you!

Tip 1: Don’t be afraid to ask for help. As a matter of fact, the second you arrive at your destination pull a guest service agent or concierge aside and explain the real purpose of your trip. If you have an idea of how you want to propose or if you’re completely clueless and don’t know where to start, there has to be someone who can help you bring it all together magically. Before you travel, do a bit of research on your venue and what it has to offer to find that perfect spot or moment. You may find  your proposal coincides with a special local event or natural occurrence that you know will make for an unbelievable proposal. If you’re travelling to a location where your native tongue is not the first language, find a translator before you travel.

Sandals Insider Tip–  Planning to propose? Get in contact with an engagement concierge, either before you arrive or pull them aside the minute you arrive and explain what you’d like to do. It makes a world of difference in your proposal planning to ask for help. My fiancé enlisted the help of the engagement concierge who then got the photo shop, the sales office and entertainment to help pull together his sweet proposal. Seriously, he had a personal army of romance specialist.

Tip 2: Step outside the box. I’m huge on private romantic moments; that’s why my proposal was so special to me. If your soon-to-be fiancé is the adventurous type, you can arrange an outdoor proposal that will knock their socks off or fins off like this guy did when he proposed underwater.

Sandals Insider Tip– If you’re thinking of an underwater proposal at Sandals or Beaches Resorts, diving and snorkelling is included at Sandals and Beaches resorts. The dive scene in Grenada is astonishing by the way! If diving isn’t your scene try a local tour like the Honeymoon Island Adventure which is unbelievable private and perfect for proposals or the

Tip 3: Think romantic thoughts. Now is definitely the time to show your boyfriend/girlfriend just how romantic you can be. You’re in an amazing and exotic location and sometimes not knowing anyone can be a good thing. Sing your proposal on a gondola in Italy, plan a special dance for your love to a live reggae band in the Caribbean or dare your fiancée to marry you if you can make it under a fiery limbo stick in Jamaica. The point is to let loose and let the passion in! 

Sandals Insider Tip- Romance is everything at Sandals and Beaches Resorts. Every. Thing. There are tons of special and romantic surprises that you can plan while on your “Engagement-moon” (we totally just coined that phrase). From a sweet and low-key picnic in a garden setting, to a private in-room massage, to an exquisite candlelight dinner on the beach, you can design the perfect romantic proposal. I personally loved the tropical bouquet and chocolate dipped fruits that my fiancé ordered to be delivered to our room the night we got engaged. Visit the sales office at any Sandals or Beaches to find out what you can do to push the private romance into overdrive.

Tip 4: Photograph everything. The moment can happen so quickly and time on vacation goes by so fast that the pictures help keep the moment alive. Also, photos help your friends and family members feel like they were apart of the moment when you tell them the story over and over again. I highly recommend having a photographer around when you’re about to propose. Nothing like catching the face of your soon-to-be the moment the ring comes out! (My best friends were REALLY excited when I got engaged. Having their hilarious reaction photos made me really happy we had a photographer. You can read  my proposal story here: https://sandalsweddingblog.com/blog/my-proposal-story-sunny/)

Sandals Insider Tip: There are always photographers from SnapShots walking around to capture your vacation moments. You can plan a sunset photography session and surprise your soon-to-be with a ring during the session! You can also inquire about having a photographer present the moment your propose to capture the moment.

Tip 5: Don’t panic/Have a back-up plan. The morning my boyfriend planned to propose to me it showered all over Exuma for at least two hours. He was a bit on edge all morning but by noon the sun was out and by that afternoon the weather was gorgeous. He later told me that he was a little worried but he had a back-up plan to move the location from outdoors to our room balcony if need be. Discuss with whoever is helping you plan your proposal about a plan B just in case all doesn’t go according to plan.

Sandals Insider Tip– True Story: Sandals Resorts once had a butler who was helping a guest plan an elaborate sunset proposal to his girlfriend on the beach. That evening before the sunset it started raining for hours. The butler sent his disappointed guest to dinner and went to work creating a beach set up in their suite complete with beach balls, a little sand and umbrellas. Needless to say, both guests were surprised that night!

Did you get engaged at Sandals Resorts or Beaches Resorts? We’d love to hear your proposal story! Email us at weddingmoons@uvltd.com with a photo (or two or three or four) and tell us about your engagement and you could find your story featured on our wedding blog!