Everyone wants the perfect proposal. They want to remember exactly what happened when their other half got down on one knee, and they want to be able to tell this story to their parents, friends, children, grandchildren, and random strangers they come across in the stress. Unfortunately, because of the sheer number of people on the planet, it can be difficult to come up with a unique proposal to sweep your partner off their feet, but that doesn’t mean that you should go down the obvious route and do something that’s been done a million times. If you’re planning to propose any time soon, here are four common cliches you should avoid.  

At A Tourist Attraction

You might not see anything wrong with getting engaged at the top of The Eiffel Tower or in front of the castle at Disneyland, but for some people, it would be a major disappointment. The main problem here is that there will have been thousands of people that proposed in the exact same spot as you, making yours completely unoriginal. The only real reason to propose in one of these spots is if it has some significance to your relationship.

In A Restaurant

There is nothing cute or romantic about sticking engagement rings in slices of cake, fortune cookies, or glasses of champagne, but that doesn’t stop the mountain of people that do this every single year. You may have seen this idea in a few romantic comedies, but the problem with your logic is that this usually ends up with someone choking on the ring or it getting lost somewhere. It makes much more sense to play it safe, and hand the ring to your partner yourself.

At A Sports Game

If you and your partner are into sports, then proposing at a sports game might work, but in general, I’d advise that you keep away from the jumbotron. Once again, this idea is ridiculously overused, and it also has other big problems, like the levels of noise, how public it is, and getting your timing just right. The last thing that you want is for your partner to be scoffing on a hot dog when the message comes on the screen.

In A Hotel

Taking your partner on vacation and proposing to them somewhere beautiful is a really nice idea unless you’re planning to propose to them at the hotel itself. Not only is this idea incredibly played out, but it’s also one of the least exciting or interesting cliches out there. Sure, it might be romantic to run your partner a bubble bath and lay rose petals on the bed on a normal day, but when you’re proposing, I think it’s time to up your game a little bit.

Of course, no two proposals are ever completely the same, because no two people are, but that doesn’t mean that you should do something that’s been done again and again. Coming up with unique proposal ideas is difficult, but it’ll be worth it for the amazing story, and the smile on your partners face.