Romantic Disneyland Proposals
By Character Diva
Most girls spend a good portion of life dreaming about meeting your Prince Charming… particularly if you love Disney. So with the fairytale atmosphere, it is no wonder that Disneyland is a popular place for proposals. Today, you will get to read about two of these fairytale happy endings: one being my friend, Candee and Josh, and the other being my sister, Meagan and Shaun. Just in case you need a recap of stuff to remember if you’re popping the question (or if you want to start leaving hints for your boyfriend), you can just scroll ahead and find those below!
Candee & Josh’s Happily Ever After
“In December of 2005 I was in my last year of college, and had recently auditioned and been accepted as an Entertainer for the Walt Disney World College Program. I was on a rehearsal break from a college production, when my boyfriend, Josh, called and asked if I wanted to go to Disneyland for the holidays. He had been talking with my brother and sister-in-law and had discussed traveling together with their two little ones. Of course I said yes! We left a week or two later, after my school quarter and play wrapped up.
The first day at Disneyland consisted of all the usual rides, snacks, and hidden Mickey hunts. I distinctly remember taking pictures with Chip and Dale (my future best friends) and talking with Josh about all the new adventures I would be experiencing in the next year when I left for Florida. I watched the shows and parades with hopes of being a part of them in Disney World. After getting soaked on Splash Mountain, Josh and I decided to head back to the hotel and change into warmer clothes, as the night was coming on. I didn’t want to miss the special Christmas nighttime fireworks show, so I tried to be quick with our venture. When we came back to Disneyland, Josh was adamant that we hook up with my brother. I was afraid of missing the show and wasn’t too concerned about watching the fireworks with my brother. I wanted a good spot to view the show and I kept pushing Josh towards It’s a Small World, a place recommended for good viewing of the nighttime spectacular. Josh didn’t seem very happy with me, and continued to try and get in contact with my brother. I won the war, and we watched the fireworks in front of the children’s ride, instead of the castle. Special snow fell on our heads at the conclusion of the fireworks, and my brother finally found us during the snow fall.
After meeting up with my brother and his family, we all made a decision to head towards Fantasmic next. We started to walk towards Fronteirland, by way of the castle. Josh quickly pulled at my arm and said that he wanted to go look at a hat he had found earlier. I yelled to my brother to stop, who was walking in front of us, and when I turned to face Josh, he started talking to me about the past and the future – to be honest, I was so confused, I didn’t really know what he was saying. I thought we were going to get a hat!
The next thing I remember was Josh quickly bending down to one knee, and then immediately popping back up (he hates any extra attention placed on him). The one thing about Josh’s speech that I won’t forget was that the words, “will you marry me,” left Josh’s lips and touched my ears and heart. I responded with, “yes,” and he slipped a ring, (a few sizes too big) on my finger. My brother was on the phone with my parents and my sister-in-law took out Minnie Ears with a veil attached.
Apparently, everyone was in on this little surprise. Josh wanted to meet up with my brother because he had the ring. Josh had given him the ring in the morning, and my brother had kept it, box and all, inside of his front pants pocket. I’m surprised I never noticed anything. Josh was nervous about my brother’s placement of the ring all day. Josh originally intended on proposing in front of the castle, while the snow fell, but because I was a stubborn-stinker, he had to revise his original plan. I was happy that my brother and his family were with us, because they were able to capture a few very special moments on camera. We never did go buy a hat for Josh, and I missed all of Fantasmic, because I was texting my friends with the recent news!
I later found out that even though Josh had called that night when I was in rehearsal and had acted like it was a spur of the moment idea to head to Disneyland, he had actually been planning it for a while. He had asked my dad’s permission during a duck hunting excursion, while sitting in a duck blind together (brave man). Josh isn’t a fan of big crowds or overly priced amusement parks, but he knew that I was. He knew that I was going to be fulfilling a dream by working for Disney World, and he put his feeling aside to create one, magical moment for me. We are now on our seventh year of marriage, with two beautiful children. I finished my Disney World internship and have visited Disneyland and Disney World quite a few times since that December in 2005, some visits have even been with Josh. Every time I walk by the front of the castle in Disneyland, I always remember when Josh popped the question!”
Meagan & Shaun’s Happily Ever After
“October 27, 2009- I have been to Disneyland many times; on average twice a year since I can even remember! While I enjoy Disneyland, by no means am I a “Disney Freak”. But Disneyland is full of wonderful memories for me, so when my boyfriend, Shaun, asked if I wanted to take his niece with him to celebrate her 5th Birthday, I couldn’t resist. The best part was that three of our close friends were also going with us, so it was going to be fun!
It was the perfect day filled with The Carousel, Pirates of the Caribbean, Dumbo, The Haunted Mansion, plus some added favorites such as getting cotton candy, and attempting to pull the Sword out of the Stone. It was amazing reliving Disneyland through the eyes of a 5 year old. She was enthralled with everything, and we were all soaking it up!
Shaun and I had a peaceful dinner at Blue Bayou, while our other friends and niece opted for the French Market. Around dusk, we all met around Snow White’s Wishing Well. We were all waiting in anticipation for the Fireworks show! Shaun’s grandparents even Came to the park, just for the evening, “just to see the fireworks,” as did my aunt and cousins.
While sitting and visiting with our friends and family, Shaun was teaching his niece how to make a wish. He kept giving her pennies to throw in the well…which was adorable.
Finally she came up to me, and said, “Meagan, let me teach you how to wish.” It was cute, so I humored her. I followed her instructions very closely. “First, you have to take this penny and close your eyes.” I did. “Then, you think really hard about your wish.” Okay. “Okay, Meagan, now open your eyes and toss the penny in the wishing well.” I did as she said, and when I turned toward her I was beyond shocked to see my niece was gone, but Shaun was next to me, down on one knee, with the most gorgeous ring I have ever seen. He looked nervous! He very quietly and simply said, “Will you marry me?” Of course I said yes immediately, and was so overwhelmed with happiness. The fireworks didn’t happen that night due to the wind, but being surrounded by family, friends, and my fiance, was the most magical ending one could hope for.
So how did we celebrate afterwards?? Our niece went home with Shaun’s grandparents and the rest of us went out to celebrate in Downtown Disney. We went to The Rainforest Café for appetizers and a few drinks. It couldn’t have been a better happy ending at the most magical place on earth.”
Character Diva’s Recap
Are those not two of the cutest proposal stories you have ever heard?! I may be a little biased, but I love them and think they’re adorable! So, now that you’ve said “Awww” a few times in your head, let’s recap with what we’ve learned from Candee and Meagan’s proposal stories:
Disney Diva Tip: Men, make sure you’ve talked to your girlfriend’s dad (or father figure) before popping the question. While a Disneyland proposal is amazing, so are some traditions… particularly ones that involve being on the same page as your in-laws when it comes to the happiness of their daughter. Don’t forget, when you marry your girlfriend, you also are inheriting her family! While some people may find it uncomfortable or stressful, make sure to do it anyway. Your future father-in-law will have more respect for you if you do. And your future in-laws may be willing to help coordinate the proposal or take pictures!
Disney Diva Tip: Buy those Disney Bride & Groom Mickey Mouse Ears hats! It’ll be a cute souvenir to mark the special occasion, and if you want, you can always wear them to your wedding rehearsal or rehearsal dinner. And… if you come back for your honeymoon (or have it at any other Disney destination) you’re all set!
Disney Diva Tip: Whether you decide to go for the hats or not, at least stop by City Hall on Main Street and get buttons! Disney has a variety of buttons celebrating all kinds of occasions, such as birthdays, first trips, anniversaries, weddings, honeymoons, and you guessed it- engagements! And they can write your names and the date on the buttons too, to help you remember your momentous occasion.
Disney Diva Tip: It helps if you can have other people in on it. Whether it’s a cast member, a friend, a family member, or some random tourist that you’ve flagged down secretly and begged to take pictures of you, this is a special occasion, and something worth capturing on camera and/or video.
Disney Diva Tip: While neither Josh nor Shaun opted to go this route, you can also coordinate things with Disney cast members, arranging everything from special meals and desserts, to specific characters making appearances and helping with your proposal. (though depending what you have in mind, just remember, the more elaborate, the more expensive). If you want to go the free route, and don’t have anyone else going with you both, talking secretly to a photopass photographer or another cast member and giving them your camera works too. 🙂
Disney Diva Tip: What time of the day you want to propose doesn’t matter. You can have great proposal stories either way! Though I think if your significant other is expecting you to propose, you may want to do it earlier in the day… or at least, somewhere where she’s not suspecting! Meagan had a pretty good feeling that Shaun was going to propose on that trip, but she was expecting it at the fireworks, not at the wishing well. Well played, Shaun, well played.
Disney Diva Tip: And ladies, if you think your boyfriend may be getting ready to pop the question and you’re planning on taking lots of pictures and showing off your ring, you may want to get your nails done. Meagan had a feeling she was going to be proposed to while on that trip, and had made sure to go in for a manicure beforehand in case she needed to show off her nails.
Disney Diva Tip: Locations- Snow White’s Wishing Well, Sleeping Beauty Castle, the fireworks… all popular proposal locations. Need more? How about over dinner? Blue Bayou is one of the more popular romantic dining locations. Or for other Disney Diva recommendations, try here.
These are two of the sweetest Disneyland proposals I’ve ever heard! Do you have a great Disney proposal story to share?
