Spending so much time with your partner in 2020 can make it hard to plan any kind of surprise proposal. Which is why Abel Villegas enlisted the help of photographer Lensy Michelle to trick his soon-to-be fiance, Amanda Nunez Redondo.

“Abel reached out to me about planning a proposal that was disguised as ‘just a normal couple's photoshoot to use for holiday cards.’ But at the end of the shoot, he planned to drop down on one knee and propose to Amanda. So, when I got on a video chat with the couple to plan their shoot, little did Amanda know that she was actually planning her own proposal!

When deciding on where the proposal would happen, we decided to go back to where their relationship began: in a parking garage. (Abel had asked Amanda to be his girlfriend in a parking garage back in the DR.) So, we planned a shoot that started with them hanging out in the Boston Common in ugly Christmas sweaters and ended with them on the roof of a parking garage overlooking downtown Boston. The couple did a gift exchange, and inside the box that Abel gave Amanda there were a bunch of quotes and other words to make her smile. When she got to the end of reading, he dropped down on one knee and asked her to marry him.”

- Lensy Michelle

With not a lot of options of things to do in 2020, many people took to the art of walking as a way to get fresh air and switch up their environment. Which is why Erin Eastman didn’t even see her pandemic proposal coming when she took a walk with her college sweetheart (and boyfriend of four years), Kennan Davis.

“Since the pandemic started, we decided to take walks daily to get us outside and get more active (with both working from home and not going very many places). We started this habit in early April and had been doing it ever since. One day while out on a walk we were taking in the views of the sun setting on the lake that we live by and he popped the question! I was so shocked and definitely didn't see it coming that day. It was the sweetest surprise during quarantine and definitely the highlight of our year.”

– Erin Eastman

If a person can add in something sentimental when planning a proposal, it surely goes a long way. When Niki Lynn walked into her proposal, she couldn’t have guessed the gesture her significant other did to make the moment extra special.

“My significant other had four different plans, but they all fell through because of COVID. We ended up taking a trip to Hudson Valley, a few weeks before we got engaged, and I told him about a winery I used to go to with my parents as a kid and a few weeks later we went back, and he proposed there after reenacting a photo of my parents there.

It was really special because my dad died when I was younger and the fact that he found a way to include him and a special memory really meant a lot to me.”

– Niki Lynn

Everyone has been spending extra quality time at home during the pandemic. While getting engaged in a living room or backyard might not have been considered extra special, an at-home proposal takes on a whole new meaning in a year like 2020, especially for Danni Allen.

“After almost 8 years together, I guess it took a pandemic to realize we were really meant to be. Being in Chicago, Evanston specifically, everything was shut down again as COVID numbers skyrocketed. On the morning of my birthday, December 11, David escorted me onto our balcony, which was lit with all of our Christmas lights and garland. He handed me a card, and because I had no clue what was going on, I babbled about how pretty the card was. I opened the card and it read: ‘Roses are red, Violets are blue, look at me...’ He then got down on one knee, and proposed at exactly 7:09 a.m., sunrise. My favorite moment of every day is watching the sunrise over Lake Michigan from our balcony; David thought this year needed to end on a high note! We had so much fun video calling family and friends, subtly sliding my left hand into frame to watch the reactions!”

– Danni Allen

A proposal that nobody sees coming is a guaranteed tear-jerker, even for strangers who watch it happen on live TV. That was the case for Miranda Roldan, a TV anchor who was in the middle of a segment about jewelry and engagement stories, when her partner interrupted the segment with a video clip of himself sharing a sweet message about their relationship over the years and the challenges of being deployed, as well as COVID-19.

Right when you think it can’t get any more romantic, her partner walks out on stage to propose live on television. The raw and real emotions of the moment keep you watching this proposal on repeat.

For some people, having an idea of how you’d like your engagement to go can be a game of waiting and wishing. For Lindsay Hoffman, watching her dream proposal play out in real life was unbelievable. Her fiance, Alex Negrete, managed to pull off a surprise, and COVID-safe, flash mob.

“Every night, as long as I can remember, I wondered what my future husband was doing. I prayed for the day I'd meet him. Before we started dating, I wrote down everything I wanted in my future husband. On that list was someone kind, loyal, smart, fun, with a lovely family, and…. a guy who could propose doing a flash mob viral video! Little did I know that God was listening to my prayers. Eight years ago, Alex came into my life. A kind, loyal, loving man with a great family, and he was a YouTube star named Keep The Heat, who made viral videos.

On August 25, Alex and I went on a trip to San Diego and he orchestrated an epic flash mob proposal at the Hotel del Coronado comprised of all our songs! We had set up a tour of the hotel and little did I know that Alex had arranged the hotel events team to be in on this proposal. While on the hotel tour, I kept wondering why our guide kept skipping the main lawn. Finally, as soon as we got to it, music started playing. I instantly knew it was a flash mob, but it took me about one minute to realize it was for me! It was socially distant, and the dancers were wearing masks.

Due to the pandemic, we can't celebrate this special moment with our family or friends because they all live out of state. We have no idea when we can see them. Now that we have this video, it makes our loved ones feel like they are with us. That's so important to us.”

– Lindsay Hoffman

A lot of couples in 2020 had to not only pause wedding plans but switch up proposal ideas last minute. That’s what Alexander Lunter had to do when he went to propose to Michaela Meekins and his Disney proposal idea fell through due to COVID-19 shutdowns.

“It was two weeks after the world had officially shut down. We were supposed to be getting ready to leave for a trip to Disney (my first ever!) for our three-year anniversary. Of course, we found out that we had to cancel everything and at the time we had no idea the impact the pandemic would have on life as we knew it. Alex had always planned on a ‘fancy dinner’ at home the night before we were supposed to leave. Even though we weren't going to Disney anymore, he still wanted to have this ‘fancy dinner.’ I thought something might be up but had been wrong a few times before. I was wearing a pink fuzzy sweater, leggings and slippers–little did I know this would later become my everyday uniform.

So, on March 21st, a very nervous Alex got down on one knee before we could even start eating. He was so nervous, the words came out all jumbled and I had never been so happy in that moment. It was just the two of us, and the moment was all ours. We spent the rest of the night FaceTiming our relatives with glasses of Prosecco in hand. Alex later said that he didn't want to go another day without being engaged despite the world feeling like it was about to end. The only picture we have from that night are pictures of our hands together, and that's enough for me. We were relishing in the moment so much so that we didn't have time for selfies.”

– Michaela Meekins