We’ve shot over one hundred proposals in New York, and more than half of them have taken place in Central Park.  It’s easy to see why: it’s scenic, it’s accessible, and it offers something for everyone.

To make picking the right proposal spot just a bit easier, we’ve selected 10 of our favorite Central Park engagement locations that are certain to capture your partner’s heart!

Best Places to Propose in Central Park

Bow Bridge

Bow Bridge is one of the most highly photographed places in Central Park, and a favorite proposal location both on-screen and off!  Take a horse and carriage to nearby Bethesda Fountain and walk the short distance from there to the Bridge.  Admire the rowboats in the spring and summer, and the Fifth Avenue skyline peaking above the treetops in the winter, before you pop the question.  Our discreet proposal photographer will capture photos of you down on one knee before joining you for an incredible engagement session!

Cherry Hill

Cherry Hill is the perfect place for a romantic picnic proposal!  The hill is accessible, but slightly off the beaten path, and has gorgeous views of Bow Bridge, the Central Park Lake, and the Manhattan skyline.  Convince your honey to go for a walk in the park, and happen upon a picnic, complete with small bites and a bottle of champagne for you to share a toast after the big ask!  Romantic, low-key luxury.

Check out the gorgeous park picnic proposal package Eugene booked for his Cherry Hill engagement.

The Ramble

Get the outdoorsy engagement you want without traveling upstate!  The noise of the city fades away in this small wooded area, as do the crowds.  Also worth noting: the secluded forrest has evergreen trees that make for great engagement photos no matter the time of year. Pop the question on Oak Bridge for a picture perfect moment.

Gapstow Bridge

Get creative with a Gapstow Bridge engagement with a proposal in front of the bridge, instead of on it.   The narrow bridge gets easily crowded, so proposing in front of it is a way to keep your engagement a bit more private. Not to mention, having the stone arch in the backdrop of your proposal is absolutely gorgeous. Paul had the right idea– watch his entire engagement unfold in his proposal slideshow!

Central Park Ice Rink

Nothing says classic romance like a wintry engagement on the ice rink in Central Park!  Central Park is one of our favorite places for an ice skating marriage proposal because it’s less crowded than the Rock Center rink and makes for a more peaceful engagement.

Belvedere Castle

Start your happily ever after with a fairytale marriage proposal at Belvedere Castle.  This hidden treasure in Central Park is an incredible and often overlooked place to propose.  Start off your storybook engagement by taking in the stunning 360-degree views of the park.  When the time is right, drop to one knee and propose!

Central Park Boulder

Climb to the top of one of the natural rock formations in Central Park for a proposal with an incredible view. Elevated above the crowds,  There are several notable rock formations in the Park, and an experienced proposal planner will know exactly where to guide you for your picture-perfect moment.

Check out Tommy’s full proposal slideshow to view their post-proposal engagement session!

The Central Park Baseball Fields

The Baseball Fields are the perfect place to propose in the summer months!  Invite your special someone to toss the ball, swapping out the regular baseball for one with a special proposal message, like Adam did! His slides

Bethesda Fountain

Capture your partner’s heart in the heart of Central Park with a proposal at Bethesda Fountain, a trusted favorite for Central Park engagements for its scenery and accessibility.  For some added romance, have a horse and carriage pick you up and deliver the two of you to the fountain!  After you propose, walk to gorgeous Bethesda Terrace for a picturesque engagement session and finish it all off with a trip to the boathouse for a celebratory toast!

The Mall

Last but not least, The Mall.  This iconic proposal spot has made it into just about every romantic New York dramedy to grace the silver screen, a detail that will not be lost on your soon-to-be fiancee. The trees lining the walkway perfectly frame surprise engagement photos.  A truly stunning place to propose, especially in the fall when the leaves are changing!

There you have it!  The best places to pop the question in Central Park, from quiet to iconic and everything in between.  If you’d like to chat about planning and capturing your own picture-perfect Park proposal, give us a call to chat with one of our proposal experts.  Or, if you know you want to propose in New York but you’re not quite sure a park proposal is your style, head to our New York City proposal page for the ultimate guide on where and how to propose in NYC.  There, you’ll find proposal photography from our most recent engagements, and proposal packages designed for stress-free New York proposal planning!

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He led Angie from one incredible gesture to the next, starting with a gorgeous skyline helicopter ride to see the greatest city in the world from a bird’s eye view, followed by a trip to the top of the Trade Center.

After running back to where they were staying at the Essex Hotel, he told her he had a special lunch planned.  They headed outside, where he told her to pick a horse and buggy for a ride to where he had a Perfect Picnic arranged to have set up for them, and the ultimate surprise in store: his romantic marriage proposal!

How They Met:

Marc and his fiancé met on match.com and after chatting for a while online, they made plans to meet up in person and see if the initial chemistry translated into something more!

Something told Marc that Angie was special, and he wanted to meet with her right away, but he was leaving for a trip to Cuba. So he asked her out to dinner in advance and as soon as he got back the couple met up for the first time on February 5th, a date Marc has memorized!

Conversation was easy over dinner. They had a similar sense of humor and outlook on life, and the back and forth banter they had online was even better than expected. Marc loved that Angie was so interested in hearing about his trip and looking through the photos he took while he was away, and she was intrigued by his passion for life. After their date, they sat in his car by the beach in their home city of Boca Raton, Florida, watching the waves roll in and feeling relaxed and happy in each other’s company. It was the evening of his 50th birthday, and when the clock struck midnight he got the best gift he could have asked for— a kiss from his future wife!

How They Knew

Marc knew that he had met someone truly unique.

He had never been this intrigued by someone he just met, and he wasted no time— asking her out on a second date while they were still on their first.

The couple says they knew almost immediately that they had found The One. Their initial feelings only grew as they spent more time together!

The Proposal

Marc wanted to propose, and an invitation to New Jersey for a Bar Mitzvah presented the perfect opportunity.

He planned for a few extra days for them to stay in New York, and set about coming up with his full day, absolutely incredible proposal plan.

After giving Angie a romantic card in the horse and carriage promising he would make all her dreams come true, the pair stepped out onto Cherry Hill in Central Park. When they walked up to the picnic, she was surprised by the thoughtful gesture and stood in the picture-perfect spot for our photographer to capture her reaction— Marc knew it was the perfect moment, and popped the question with a gorgeous engagement ring from Diamonds East International in Boca Raton, Florida.

Her answer: a resounding, “Yes!” Through laughter and tears of joy.

The pair paused for a champagne toast before Marc introduced our photographer, who joined them for a gorgeous post-proposal portrait session.

And to top off an incredible proposal day, “We had 8th row center seats to Jersey Boys!” Said Marc, adding, “and I got her a great take-home token from the show: her own real live Jersey Boy, me!”

View the couple’s full proposal photo story!

Looking for some New York proposal ideas?  Already have some ideas and trying to find your perfect New York surprise proposal photographer? Contact us  today for a free consultation with one of our proposal experts.  Not in New York? No problem! We take the stress out of proposal planning and surprise proposal photography in every major city nationwide. We’re here to make the process easy so all you have to do is arrive at your proposal location— and keep it all a secret!

The post New York Proposal Ideas: Marc’s Perfect Picnic Proposal appeared first on Paparazzi Proposals.