Our Top 10 Fall Proposal Ideas

The temperatures are dropping and the leaves are falling, so it’s time to start planning your fall proposal! This season is filled with perfect proposal opportunities, with holidays like Halloween and Thanksgiving, as well as activities like pumpkin carving and apple picking. If your partner loves everything the fall has to offer, this is a great time to propose! To give you some inspiration, here are our top 10 fall proposal ideas.

1. Pumpkin Carving or Painting

Carving pumpkins, or painting pumpkins if you want to avoid making a mess, is a fun activity to celebrate the fall season. You and your girlfriend can work on carving or painting your own pumpkins, keeping your designs a surprise from each other. When it’s time for the reveal, your pumpkin could say “Will you marry me?” or have an engagement ring carved into or painted on it. Not only will she be surprised, but she’ll also have a cute pumpkin decoration that she can display outside.

2. Visit a Pumpkin Patch

Speaking of pumpkins, why not propose in a pumpkin patch? Some of our customers at Necker’s Jewelers have chosen to go this route, taking advantage of the lovely fall colors in their proposal photos.

There are tons of pumpkin patches in the Quad Cities to enjoy, including Shady Knoll Farm in East Moline, IL, Pride of the Wapsi in Long Grove, IA, Selmi’s Greenhouse & Family Farm in Rock Falls, IL, and Buffalo Pumpkin Farm in Buffalo, IA.

3. Celebrate Halloween

There are endless ways to incorporate the spooky season into your fall proposal. For example, if the two of you are going to a costume party together, plan to surprise your partner with a costume they won’t be expecting, like a t-shirt that says, “Will you marry me?”

For an even more creative proposal, you could make personalized candy wrappers online for your significant other’s favorite candy, adding your proposal message onto the wrappers before gifting the Halloween treats to your partner!

4. Host a Bonfire

When the weather gets cold in the fall, there’s no better way to stay warm than by hosting a bonfire. Invite friends and family so your bonfire proposal can double as an engagement party!

5. Celebrate Thanksgiving

If you’re wanting to propose in front of family and friends, proposing on Thanksgiving is a great option, especially if it’s one of her favorite holidays. You can start off by telling everyone how grateful you are for your girlfriend, and then turn your declaration of gratitude into a proposal.

6. Go on a Hike or Walk to Enjoy the Fall Scenery

The vibrant colors of fall foliage make going on hikes and walks especially beautiful during this time of year. If your partner loves getting out into nature, you could take them on a walk down their favorite scenic path. This is also a good idea if you’re hoping to take gorgeous fall photos of the proposal. One way you could propose to them is by decorating part of the path and putting a “Will you marry me” sign there before you walk to that spot together. Then, when you get there, you can ask your significant other to marry you.

Beautiful places to walk in the Quad Cities area include Maquoketa Caves State Park in Maquoketa, IA (make sure you get there before the caves close for the season in mid-October), Loud Thunder Forest Preserve in Illinois City, IL, and Wildcat Den State Park in Muscatine, IA. There are also several great places to walk along the Mississippi, including on the Mississippi River Trail.

7. Pick Apples at an Orchard

Going to an orchard to pick apples is a fun fall activity that would also make a beautiful backdrop for your engagement photos. Drop down on one knee as your partner is picking apples, or put up a sign that says “Will you marry me?” near one of the apple trees.

If you’re looking for apple orchards around the Quad Cities, we recommend checking out Stone’s Apple Barn in East Moline, IL, Selmi’s Greenhouse & Family Farm in Rock Falls, IL, and Indian Hills Orchard in Fulton, IL.

8. Plan a Fall Picnic

Fall picnics are a great way to savor the outdoors before the weather gets too cold. Choose a beautiful location like a park or botanical garden and pack a meal for you and your significant other to enjoy before you ask them to marry you.

The Quad Cities has a ton of great locations for your next picnic, including Vander Veer Botanical Park in Davenport, IA, Schwiebert River Front Park in Rock Island, IL, and Ben Butterworth Parkway in Moline, IL.

9. Go Flower Picking

If your girlfriend loves flowers and nature, flower picking is a perfect activity to incorporate into your proposal. Not only will the flowers create a beautiful backdrop for your engagement photos, but your girlfriend will have a bouquet that she can hold in the pictures as well. Plus, to remember this special day, the two of you can save the flowers you picked by pressing them and turning them into home decor pieces.

You can pick flowers at Shady Knoll Farm in East Moline, IL, Miss Effie’s Country Flowers in Donahue, IA, as well as Beacon Woods Farm in Milan, IL.

10. Visit a Winery

If your girlfriend loves wine, we suggest taking her to a winery to pop the question! Not only will she be able to enjoy the fall colors, but she’ll also get to enjoy delicious wine before the proposal.

The Quad Cities area has a ton of great wineries to choose from including Wide River Winery in Davenport, Clinton, and Le Claire, IA, as well as Lavender Crest Winery in Corona, IL, Old Oaks Winery in Milan, IL, and TYCOGA Winery & Distillery in DeWitt, IA.

Shop Engagement Rings at Necker’s Jewelers

Thinking about proposing this fall? We have a huge selection of engagement rings in our stores in Davenport and DeWitt, IA, as well as a selection of engagement rings on our website.