National Proposal Day: When It Is & How To Celebrate (2024)

Are you currently planning a proposal? If so, have you considered proposing on National Proposal Day? This annual holiday celebrates love and commitment while providing an opportunity to pop the big question. Keep reading as we explain what National Proposal Day is, outline how it was created, and pinpoint when it happens. We’ll also provide a guide to celebrating the holiday and making it a truly special occasion, including sharing how to book a proposal-perfect venue near you.

What is National Proposal Day?

National Proposal Day is an annual holiday that encourages couples to take the next step in their relationships. It helps couples express their devotion to each other by formally committing to each other with a proposal. 

Although the origin of National Proposal Day is a bit murky, many sources state that the holiday was invented by John Michael O’Loughlin. His cousin’s boyfriend refrained from proposing to her after they’d been dating for years and she had been waiting for him to pop the question. Frustrated with the situation, he created this holiday to encourage partners to propose to one another by establishing a day specifically for that purpose. 

Interestingly, O’Loughlin chose March 20th because it’s the date of the vernal equinox, which means that the day and night are exactly the same length on that day, “symbolizing the equal efforts of the two required to comprise the successful marriage.” 

Head outdoors and use these unique picnic date ideas as possible sources of proposal inspiration!

When is National Proposal Day?

In the United States, National Proposal Day falls on March 20th each year, which also happens to be the official first day of spring! That’s a truly fitting date for such a life-changing event.

And if you propose on March 20th, it also means that your engagement anniversary will be super easy to remember. It will be on both the first day of spring and National Proposal Day. 

How to celebrate National Proposal Day

If you’d like to make the most of National Proposal Day, here are our top suggestions for doing so, including but not limited to some creative proposal ideas. These are in no particular order and are all optional, so feel free to pick and choose the suggestions most helpful to you.

Sit down and talk about your relationship with your partner

Unsure whether you and your partner are ready to take the next step of getting engaged? Then take National Proposal Day as an ideal opportunity to have this conversation.

Choose a time when the two of you are relaxed and comfortable—perhaps sitting at the kitchen table or on the couch together—to initiate this discussion.

Share your hopes and dreams for the future both as individuals and as a couple, and honestly discuss any concerns you may have about taking this next step. The most important is to communicate openly with one another. And consider the fact that having this conversation could mean that next National Proposal Day, one of you will be getting down on one knee and popping the question!

Surprise your partner with a vacation… and then a proposal

Take the time to plan a dream vacation with your partner. Craft the perfect romantic getaway with an itinerary packed with unforgettable experiences and exciting outings. Ideally, this vacation will be somewhere that you and your partner have been dying to visit for years.

But as exciting as your trip itself may be, you can make it even more exciting by incorporating an even bigger surprise: a proposal.

Choose a breathtaking setting that is truly fitting for the magic of your love story for a proposal that you and your soon-to-be spouse will remember forever. Perhaps a secluded beach, a bustling cityscape, a cozy café, or a serene mountain retreat will do the trick.

Hire a professional photographer to capture the proposal

Speaking of creating memories, consider hiring a professional photographer to capture your proposal for posterity! There is no question that the moment itself is important enough that it will imprint in your memories forever. However, having professional photos of it as well definitely can’t hurt—it will preserve every emotion and detail in perfect clarity.

A skilled photographer can discreetly capture the surprise and joy on both of your faces during your proposal, freezing that split second when your partner says “yes” into a keepsake photo that you can display in your home forever. There are additional benefits to taking great photos of your proposal.

First, sharing photos of the proposal is a great way to include friends and family who couldn’t be there with you in person, which can ease a bit of the heartache of being physically distant from loved ones.

Second, having professional photos of the proposal can make it significantly easier to create beautiful announcements or save-the-date cards and invitations once you begin planning your wedding. Investing in the services of a professional photographer will ensure you preserve the beauty of this life-changing moment forever, so it’s worth the added cost!

Use Peerspace to rent a private space for your proposal

If you’re struggling to choose a fitting location for your proposal, it’s time to consider some additional options. What about renting a lovely private space for your proposal? Doing so makes it easy to decorate the space, curate the perfect music and lighting to cultivate the right atmosphere, and prepare it exactly as you’d like. Compare this to the mind-boggling array of unknowns that go along with proposing in a public place.

It’s easy to find incredible proposal venues near you—and tons of other kinds of spaces, too—on Peerspace, the largest online marketplace for hourly space rentals. The site offers literally tens of thousands of listings to choose from, based in hundreds of cities throughout the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, Canada, Australia, and beyond. 

And despite this extensive selection, finding your dream proposal venue is super easy using Peerspace. (It’s pretty much the opposite of finding a needle in a haystack.) That’s because the site offers an array of intuitive search filter options that allow you to narrow down your search results to only include listings that meet all your needs.

Here are some of the site’s most useful search filters. All of which are optional, so you can make your search as broad or as specific as you’d like:

• Hourly rental price
• Total number of attendees
• Event date and time
• Keywords included in the description of the listing
• Outdoor spaces (like backyards, beaches, lawns, etc.)
• Indoor spaces (like garages, bedrooms, dining areas, bathrooms, etc.)
• Style/aesthetic of the space (such as industrial, coastal, bohemian, etc.)
• Space type (apartment, bar, classroom, church, etc.)
• Instant booking availability
• Amenities (e.g., decks, elevators, fireplaces, etc.)
• And more

Once you’ve narrowed down your search, the next step is browsing through individual proposal venue listings. We’d recommend creating a “short list” of your favorite options as you browse, so it’s easy to cross-compare your top choices and make a final selection.

Luckily, because Peerspace listings are incredibly detailed, you’ll have all the info you need to make this decision. Listings include high-resolution photos of the space, detailed descriptions written by the host of the space, and (for some listings) honest reviews from those who have rented the space previously. 

If you look through all the details in a listing and find that you still have questions for the host, it’s also incredibly easy to reach out and contact them directly to start a dialogue. Most Peerspace hosts will get back to you relatively quickly. Finally, once you decide to reserve a particular Peerspace for your proposal, doing so is as easy as clicking a button.

While you’re at it, check out these last-minute anniversary ideas in case you tend to be the disorganized one on your couple!

What about if you’re already married?

If you’re already married, that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate National Proposal Day! After all, if you’re married, you’ve proposed to or been proposed to by someone at least once. Why not celebrate that special moment, perhaps with a romantic dinner or other event to commemorate the occasion? Reflect on your proposal story with your partner, recalling the emotions and excitement of that significant relationship moment.

You might even want to renew your vows as a way to reaffirm your love and commitment to one another. If you need a venue to do so, you can easily rent a wedding venue near you via Peerspace. No matter how long you’ve been married, National Proposal Day is an ideal opportunity to celebrate the essential bond you have with your spouse.

National Proposal Day: conclusion

Originating with one man’s heartfelt desire to inspire connections, National Proposal Day has since become a chance for couples to make their planning their marriage proposals as meaningful and memorable as possible as they commit to a shared future together.

March 20th is a fitting date for the holiday. After all, it coincides with the vernal equinox, when day and night are equal lengths—symbolic of the equal efforts of both partners that go into a successful marriage. Consider incorporating at least a few of the suggestions above into your festivities to make your partner feel as loved and appreciated as they deserve!

Find unique proposal venues on Peerspace