Did they make it? Yes they did!
A good fictional proposal—whether it’s a grand, over-the-top gesture or a moment on a random Tuesday night—always hits me right in the feels and makes me believe in love again. You know, besides making me feel worse about being single.
In a time when relationships are so fickle, it warms my heart to see a couple make it through all the ups and downs of a relationship and decide on forever. Even if it’s a fictional one.
Here’s looking at 10 of the best on-screen fictional proposals that had us saying “Yes, a thousand times yes!”
My favourite type of proposal? Airport proposals! First on the list is my Roman Empire AKA the climax of Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na. You can’t talk about epic proposals and leave out Jai and Aditi. After years of living with the misconception that they are only best friends when Jai and Aditi finally realise that they are hopelessly in love with each other, what follows is an airport proposal that has an entire generation swooning over it.
To stop the love of her life from leaving the country, Jai rode a horse (he didn’t have any other mode of transport), bypassed airport security, sneaked into an X-Ray machine, had the airport security chasing him, and confessed his love to Aditi while being pinned down by the security. And your boyfriend can’t even text you back…
Jai proposes to her by singing the song he had mentioned earlier— the one he said he would sing for the person he fell in love with. And that’s when Aditi knew! *cries in single* Boys, what is stopping you from doing this? This was the most iconic airport proposal in the history of airport proposals—strike that—this was the most iconic proposal ever. You can argue with the wall.
If anyone asks, we’ll be in a corner crying because we will never find a love like Rats and Meow.
In season six, Chandler decides to propose to Monica. After weeks of planning, he arranges a dinner date to pop the question, but just as he’s about to do it, Monica’s ex-boyfriend Richard shows up, forcing him to put the proposal on hold.
Worried that Monica is getting suspicious, Joey and Phoebe suggest Chandler act like marriage is the last thing on his mind, until he finally proposes to her, which he does. Later, when Chandler is finally going to propose to Monica, Joey informs him that the plan backfired and Monica has left.
Miserable, he goes back to his apartment, only to find the place decorated with candles and Monica is all set to propose to him instead. Monica starts telling Chandler what he means to her, but can’t get through the proposal without crying, so Chandler takes charge. He says, “You make me happier than I ever thought I could be. And if you let me, I will spend the rest of my life trying to make you feel the same way.” *puppy eyes* He then takes out the ring and pops the question. *sigh* This one always makes me sob buckets.
If the love of your life knocks on your door on New Year’s Eve dressed in a suit, carrying balloons, a cake, and a champagne bottle—to propose to you no less—your first instinct might not be to cry—out of sadness. But for Naina, that’s exactly what happens. She feels sad, knowing they might not work out together because of their varied life goals, despite both of them loving each other.
However, in a seriously swoon-worthy moment, Bunny goes down on one knee, tells Naina that he let go of his dream job to be with her, and then he pops the question. He makes her realise that despite the different things that they want from life, they may be able to make it work, after all.
In a truly wholesome scene, they then call their two best friends to fill them in. We were so happy to see Bunny and Naina finally get their happily ever after. Not only were these two super adorable together, but they also inspired us to follow our hearts against all odds.
Jake and Amy are among the healthiest portrayals of relationships on TV and are absolute relationship goals. Their coming together feels like a warm hug. In the fifth season, Jake uses their famous annual Halloween Heist to propose to Amy. The prize of the Heist in question was a championship belt, inscribed with the words “Amazing Human/Genius” (if you know, you know). The aim was to steal the belt before midnight. Amy manages to steal the belt, but turns out Jake outsmarted her by replacing the original belt with a replica that said “Amy Santiago, will you marry me?”. As Amy gets all confused about finding the fake belt, she turns around to find Jake on one knee, with a ring in his hand, all set to propose to her. Being fully aware of Jake’s tendency to go to any lengths to win the Halloween Heist, she tells Jake that she will dump him hard if the proposal is a part of the Heist. Jake reassures her that he is proposing to her for real, and goes on to express his feelings towards her. And because he had been serious for too long, in the middle of his profound, heartfelt speech, he makes an inappropriate joke about her butt (classic Jake).
Theirs is one of the purest, strongest, and most fun relationships ever—no unnecessary drama, random fights, or cheating. Just a genuinely healthy and fun relationship. This is what love should look like. Their coming together legit feels like a personal win.
We see Cameron and Mitchell living together since the beginning of the first season. They’ve basically been married for years. However, when same-sex marriages are legalised in California, which is where they both live, they both secretly plan to propose to each other.
However, because it’s a sitcom, the proposal can’t happen without a minor (read: major) inconvenience. The night doesn’t go as planned—they get a flat tyre and end up stranded in the middle of nowhere. While they are fixing the car, they start looking back at the special moments in their relationship over the years, making us warm and fuzzy. At some point, they both have the same idea—they both kneel in front of the tyre, pretending to fix it, while actually preparing to propose. They both look at each other while they’re both down on one knee, and they both understand. In unison, they both go “Yes”.
This proposal will always have a special place in my heart. It shows how you do not need grand gestures or a romantic location to make your proposal special. Sometimes, just being with the one you love can turn the most ordinary situations into the most magical ones.
Sheldon and Amy’s proposal in The Big Bang Theory is equal parts funny and romantic. When Amy goes out of town, Ramona, who likes Sheldon, makes a move on him. This leads to him having an epiphany. He flies all the way to New Jersey, to meet Amy. Amy is shocked to hear Sheldon’s signature knocks on her door (fans of TBBT, we know you can hear it), and opens the door to find Sheldon down on one knee to propose to her. He tells her that Ramona kissing him made him realise that the only girl he ever wants to kiss is Amy (how cute!?). And because it is Sheldon, he takes Leonard’s call in the middle of the proposal and tells her how he is currently proposing to her—and how she is taking forever to answer. “Because you’re on the phone!” Amy yells. Sheldon tells Leonard that he’ll call him back, and after 1 second, we see Leonard get a call from Sheldon telling him that she said yes! This proposal, much like Amy and Sheldon themselves, is as a-dork-able as it gets!
From the moment we first meet them in the first season of The Office, we know that there is something there. What follows is a long, slow-burn romance.
Jim and Pam’s relationship is more about the simple, everyday moments than about dramatic, grand gestures. It’s just two friends falling in love. Everything about Jim and Pam’s love story is simple and unpretentious—even their proposal.
After Jim’s initial plan of a grand proposal with fireworks comes crashing down, he spontaneously proposes to her without any planning at all, because he can not wait any longer. He ends up proposing to her at a dingy highway gas station, with bad weather, and cars speeding in the background. The setting was anything but grand. Or romantic. In fact, it couldn’t have been more ordinary. But none of it mattered. Because they both loved each other and they were going to spend their lives together. Cue happy tears.
When we first meet Chuck in Season 1, we absolutely despise him because of his questionable life choices (to put it mildly), and it’s hard to imagine how he could ever redeem himself. However, Blair—who isn’t exactly a saint herself—somehow has a positive influence on Chuck, and over the seasons, we witness his incredible character growth. In the series finale, Chuck’s father Bart has just been killed, and Chuck and Blair are going to be questioned about his death. Them getting married would give them spousal privilege, and Blair would no longer have to testify against Chuck. So they decide to go ahead with it. While the situation is far from romantic, the proposal was a long time coming, and nobody can deny that these two complete each other like the final pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. As Chuck goes down on one knee and asks Blair to marry her, amidst all the stress and panic, we can’t help but feel all the feels. These two complete each other in their own wonderfully convoluted way!
David and Patrick are one of the most adorable on-screen couples ever. They’re the kind of couple you can’t help but root for. When Patrick decides to propose to David, he plans to go on a hike together, but David—being the diva that he is—hesitates. Of course, in true sitcom fashion, things don’t go as planned. Patrick’s idea of proposing on the hike nearly falls apart as David whines about the trek, and Patrick suffers a foot injury. Nonetheless, Patrick doesn’t let all of this ruin his plans, and decides to go ahead with the proposal anyway.
David carries Patrick to reach their picnic spot. David volunteers to set up the picnic that Patrick had planned with stuff that he had packed in his bag. David is taking everything out of the bag on Patrick’s instructions: a blanket, crackers and cheese, champagne… And lastly, Patrick asks him to take out a little something from the front pocket of the bag. And sure enough, it’s a box of ring—well, rings. Plural (more on that later).
David turns around to find Patrick kneeling on one knee to propose, as he tells David that he would come here for this hike a lot when he was developing feelings for his business partner and he didn’t know what to do about it (David). And so, it felt like the perfect place to ask David to marry him. How beautiful is that!?
And that’s not even the best part. Patrick gets for David not just any ring, but a set of four gold rings similar to David’s four signature silver rings that he always wears. Okay, if I don’t get a proposal this thoughtful, I don’t want it.
Michael and Holly are like two peas in a pod—they are a perfect match for each other’s quirky energies. When Michael first met Holly in season 4, he did a Yoda impression mid-conversation. People usually tend not to vibe with Michael’s humour, but to his surprise, Holly replies in a Yoda voice.
Fast forward to the seventh season, Michael proposes to Holly in a Yoda voice and she says yes in a Yoda voice. Somebody, please pass the tissues!
For proposing to Holly, Michael takes her through different areas in their office that are special to them as a couple: the spot where he first saw her, the spot where they first kissed, the place where they co-ran their first meeting, and the spot where he would often come to and pretend to get water from the dispenser just so he could gaze at her through the window (I might cry). They walk into the last room to find it decorated with candles, and he tells her, “This is where I fell in love with you…and this is where I ask you to marry me.” He goes down on one knee and as he is beginning his speech, the sprinkler system goes off. Drenched in water, Michael asks Holly to marry him in a Yoda voice, and Holly says yes—also in a Yoda voice.
It’s a bittersweet moment since Michael tells everyone that he is moving to Colorado with Holly. But we’re happy that Michael found someone who loves him BECAUSE OF all his weirdness, and not despite it. Isn’t that what everyone deserves in life? Someone who matches your energy and multiplies it?
Special shout out to: Mandira and Rizwan (My Name is Khan), Aakash and Kiara (Anjanaa Anjaani), Mr Darcy and Elizabeth (Pride and Prejudice), Landon and Jamie (A Walk to Remember), Leonard and Penny (The Big Bang Theory)
With an experience of 4 years as an editorial fashion stylist, Palak Valecha is the Senior Stylist and Fashion Writer for Manifest. Apart from having an immense penchant for Alexander McQueen, she derives her sanity from buying more books than she can read. View Profile
