We know 2016 has a pretty bad reputation, and although we wouldn’t disagree with that, there have been plenty of heartwarming moments along the way too.
This has been the year that the flash mob proposal died (thank God) and people went back to basics with a good old-fashioned engagements: a few kisses, a lot of tears and one handy camera nearby to capture the whole thing.
Bring the tissues people.
1. The Bicycle Proposal
In March, this man proposed to his boyfriend with a bicycle bell after five years of cycling around North America together. He explained: “Instead of going for a traditional engagement ring, I had this bike bell engraved and gave it a ‘ring’ when I proposed.” Oh, and they were on a tandem bike ❤️
2. The Tardis Proposal
In February, this guy painstakingly built his girlfriend a full size Tardis. Yeah, you read that correctly. As a massive Doctor Who fan, his now-fiance Jennifer was pretty pleased with the result, he said: “Lots of crying occurred before the ring even came out.”
3. The Lonely Planet Proposal
It was only last month that these intrepid adventurers got down on one knee on the ice, with the ring hidden inside their Lonely Planet guide book. He’s going to have to do a lot to top this with the honeymoon destination...
4. The Long Proposal
For most people one proposal is enough, but not for Ray Smith, who decided that instead of simply getting down on one knee, he would sneakily ask his pregnant girlfriend Claire Bramley to marry him 148 times - that’s every day from July 2015 to Christmas Day 2016.
5. The Olympic Proposal
Team GB’s race walker Tom Bosworth, popped the question to boyfriend Harry on Rio’s famous Copacabana beach - could there be any setting more fitting for a Brazilian proposal?
6. The Olympic Proposal Part II
Tom Bosworth wasn’t the only one who took Rio as an opportunity to ask the big question. China’s female diver He Zi had only just stepped off the Olympic podium after winning a silver medal in the springboard event, when her boyfriend got down on one knee. She said yes, although many have questioned whether it was right to hijack her moment in the limelight.
7. This Public Proposal
This proposal went viral this month when the internet’s ice cold heart was melted, not by the proposal itself, but by a stranger’s reaction. Popping the question at the Art Institute of Chicago, Jessica Rodriguez proposed to girlfriend Chelsea Miller, and this witness was completely bowled over.
7. The Surprise Proposal
In January of this year, Ruth Wood, 33, feared her partner Matthew would leave her after she had to have a hysterectomy, and could no longer have children. Instead he proposed. She said: “He told me that leaving wasn’t on his agenda and that I didn’t need to have that fear. And from then on I haven’t.”
8. The Pokemon Proposal
Pokemon Go may have been one of the biggest phenomenon of summer 2016, but this Pokémon proposal captured all our hearts, after this man designed a custom-made Poké Ball, with a ring inside. The card reads: “Will you marry me? If you say yes, then you will gain a player two forever.”
9. The Gay Pride Proposal
The London Gay Pride parade came to a standstill on Regent Street in the summer as an on-duty police officer stopped to propose to his boyfriend, Jonathan Sammons, who was in the crowd. We think we’ve got something in our eye...
10. The Friends Proposal
A Friends fan taught us all a thing about romance, when he proposed to his girlfriend in Monica and Chandler’s apartment, on the spot where the TV couple got engaged. Krunal Desai and Radha Patel have been together for 11 years so, for Desai, there was no better place to pop the question.
11. The Brave Proposal
One man made a very public proposal to his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day this year when he used a magazine cover to ask. James Greig and girlfriend Katie Moore were staying at a hotel when Greig instructed a member of staff to knock on their door with a copy of The Observer Magazine. Thankfully, she said yes.
12. The Pregnancy Proposal
Dad-to-be Louis Bruno was taking part in a maternity photoshoot when he decided that one big life event wasn’t enough to celebrate, so sprung the question on partner Lorenza Pardo, who was 26 weeks pregnant. That’s two photos for the price of one.