It’s that time of year! Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching. Love is in the air. And so are the proposals. Valentine’s Day is one of the most popular days to get engaged, alongside other widely-celebrated U.S. holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve. According to the Diamond Information Center, approximately 10% of marriage proposals will happen on Valentine’s Day.

Whether you’re returning to a sentimental location, or painting the town red with a fancy dinner, perhaps you’re in need of some romantic ideas for Valentine’s Day. Ahem, gentleman… are you listening? You grooms-to-be take note of these wedding proposal stories straight from the Dallas Wedding Planner archives and interviews of Real Brides’ Engagement Sessions. Without further delay, here are 12 romantic proposals to inspire you:

Julie and Mark met in marching band at Kansas State University. After two years of flirting she emailed him a picture of them from a band function, jokingly saying “we should date” since they looked cute together. That is what started it all. After five years of dating, Mark proposed on September 24th, 2009. After a normal dinner out, Mark coaxed Julie over to his apartment with the promise of a movie. When they got there he had laid out rose petals on the floor leading to a stand with her stuffed tiger named Domenick, the first present Mark gave her on our first Valentine’s Day together. He had the tiger dressed up in a little tuxedo with the ring box at his feet. Julie said, “It was SUPER cute.” Engagement photos by Amy Karp Photography.

Amanda and Adam were both students at Texas Tech University; she was in her junior year and Adam, senior. They happened to find part time jobs at Lowe’s Home Improvement in Lubbock, and worked together for a few months before their first date. On our first date he picked her up for dinner bearing flowers. For the proposal, Adam arranged for a trip to Las Vegas, Nevada with another couple. Suspecting that Amanda might be on to his plans, he told her not to expect a proposal. Adam made reservations for the two of us at the Capitol Grill where he popped the question and presented me with my ring. And I of course said, “yes!” Engagement photos by Jared Rey.

Elizabeth and Trevor met while working at the same advertising agency in Dallas. After one date together, they knew it was love. The proposal happened on October 23, 2008. They went to dinner at Houston’s restaurant. Trevor had asked their close friends to set up the house with candles, champagne, music, and the ring while they were away at dinner. When they returned he surprised her with the proposal. Elizabeth said, “It was so fun and unexpected!” They will be some of the first couples getting married in 2010, tying the knot the weekend after Valentine’s Day on February 20th. Engagement photos by Shauna Benoit of K & S Photography.

Kacie and Jared met after being matched on eHarmony. Jared proposed on a very regular Monday. He mentioned earlier in the day that he wanted to go on a casual date after a workout that afternoon. So they went to a little Italian restaurant and had dinner. Jared seemed a little bit flustered at dinner, but Kacie didn’t think much of it. After dinner, he asked if she wanted to go for a little walk around White Rock Lake. That’s when Kacie started to get a little bit suspicious. It was a really pretty night and it was right about sunset when we got to the lake. The sky looked beautiful and the fireflies had started to come out. They walked for a while and then Jared pulled her off the path, got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. Kacie said, “It was perfect!” According to eHarmony, they say on average 236 eHarmony members marry each day. On March 19, 2010, Kacie and Jared will become one of those statistics. Engagement photos by Crosswhite Photography.

While on a Cancun vacation in July of 2009, Bianca and Adam took a day trip to Isla Mujeres, a small island off the coast of Cancun. On July 24th, after an exhausting day of snorkeling and island exploration, they headed back to their resort for some much-needed rest and relaxation. Later that evening, following a long nap and a fabulous dinner, they returned to the hotel room to meet on the balcony for a cocktail under the stars. They entered the room and Bianca discovered that Adam had arranged for a bottle of champagne to be delivered while they were away at dinner. On the balcony, as they listened to the waves crashing against the beach, they raised their champagne glasses for a toast. There were tears of joy and excitement with the proposal. The two describe the romantic moment as “surreal.” Bianca and Adam will wed in Irving, Texas one year from their engagement date. Engagement photos by Celina Gomez of Captivating Simplicity.

Vincent said to Jennifer: “I’m going to pick you up at 6am, so be ready”….”6am..why? what’s going on?”….”don’t worry, just be ready!!” So, at 6 am, they set out for a drive. Jennifer thought he was lost, which he probably was. Then, Vincent turned down a dirt road and saw nothing but cornfields in the distance. He suddenly drove up onto a field and parked the car. Jennifer thought to herself.. “what are we doing here?” They got out of the car and he pulled out a blanket and put it on top of the jeep. He said, “there are not many things I like about Texas, but no one should miss a Texas sunrise.” It was romantic. They sat there bundled up on top of the car watching as the skies turned different colors. Suddenly he said he needed to get his phone in the car… when he came back he was kind of quiet. He wrapped his arms around Jennifer and told her how much he loved her, how beautiful this moment was, and how he wanted to spend the rest of his life with with her… and then he opened the box. Engagement photos by Hansel Dobbs.

Annie and Sam first met by chance at the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving game in 2008 where they were both volunteering for the Salvation Army’s National Kettle Kick-Off. Their proposal story took place along the shores of Lake Travis in Lago Vista. At first, she was suspicious of his ramblings and diversions, but then said, “I’ve got something for you…” and pulled out a black box and gave his speech and asked Annie to marry him. Speechless and crying she nodded, kissed him, pulled away and said, “Oh, I need to say ‘yes!’ Yes, of course I will!” Engagement photos by Andrea Crosswhite of Crosswhite Photography.

The night Ray proposed to Elizabeth, she was in a really bad mood. He suggested that they go out to Shops at Legacy to walk around and get ice cream, which is an activity that they do frequently. They were sitting on a bench looking at the fountain and the water and just talking. Then, Ray started telling me how much he loved her and how important she was to him. Before Elizabeth knew it, Ray was on one knee saying that he couldn’t imagine the rest of his life without her and he asked, “Would you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?” Elizabeth was so shocked, all she could say was, “Are you serious? Is this a joke?” After he confirmed he was serious and the ring was real, she finally got out an answer, which was of course yes! When they got back to the car he handed her a wedding planning book and told me that now she could start planning her own wedding. Engagement photos by Hansel Dobbs Photography.

Alyssa and Carlo got engaged in April of 2009. He knew that if he planned a fancy dinner or something, Alyssa would of instantly catch on to what he was doing and he really wanted her to be surprised, so he teamed up with some of Alyssa’s sorority sisters and proposed in front of about 50 screaming girls during a chapter meeting. Mission accomplished! Alyssa said, “It was totally unexpected and I was completely surprised!” Now they’re planning their wedding for June 12, 2010. The ceremony is at Perkins Chapel at SMU and the reception is at the Crowne Plaza in Addison. Engagement photos by Allison Davis Photography.

Cory proposed to Nicole in the same place where he first asked her to be his girlfriend, at her home. Earlier that day on July, 24, 2008, he took her out to lunch and asked her to dress nice. Cory got the spiciest meal at the restaurant and throughout lunch was sweating from the spicy food and the nervousness of the ‘BIG QUESTION.’ Together, Nicole and Cory headed back to her home and as they walked back to her room, Cory popped the question and she said “yes!” He proposed on the 24th because the number has sentimental meaning for the couple. Engagement photos by Jennifer Strain Photography.

Dan and Laura went to the same Junior High and High School, but they always ran with different crowds and never once spent any time together.  She went off to college and graduated and Dan got a job and bought a house in their home town. Then, one day five years after high school and completely out of the blue, Laura ended up hanging out with one of Dan’s friends, and e ended up on Dan’s front porch.  So while they met in Junior High, but they didn’t get to know each other until 10 years later. Dan proposed to Laura on the same front porch where they reunited with one another, and where they later shared their first kiss. Engagement photos by K & S Photography.

Erik and Whitney had planned to go see their families a few days after Christmas, so they spent Christmas Eve together just the two of them at their apartment. Erik’s family’s tradition is to open presents on Christmas Eve, and Whitney’s family typically opens our presents on Christmas Day, so they compromised and decided to open two presents each on Christmas Eve. The second present that Laura opened was a DVD that Erik had made for her. The DVD was a slide show of pictures of the two of them, starting when they first began dating and leading up to our engagement, which was set to the music of 3 of our favorite songs. At the end of the video, a picture of the ring box faded into a picture of the ring and Erik got down on one knee. Whitney said, “It was so perfect!” Engagement photos by Perez Photography.

If you’ve got a proposal story to share, start spilling in the comments below. We’re suckers for a good, romantic story. And if you get a proposal come Valentine’s Day, be sure to come back here let us know. If you’re newly engaged and want to announce your engagement on our blog, please contact us. Happy Valentine’s Day to you all! Hope you share a lovely celebration with your dear friends and your sweetheart.