Propose at the Maypole: May Day Proposal Ideas

Maypole in Brentwood, California. Spring is a lovely time to celebrate your love with a proposal of marriage. Does your sweetheart love flowers? Does she enjoy community celebrations and ribbons of many colors? If so, you might consider finding a community nearby that hosts a May Day celebration. At many of these community gatherings, you will find festive music, ribbons of color strung from the top of a maypole, happy dancing, and lots and lots of flowers. Whether you're planning a public or private proposal, May Day celebrations offer enchantment, beauty, and merriment, which will guarantee rich memories amid a very romantic and happy celebration. Traditions surrounding May Day include May Baskets (flower-filled baskets left anonymously on doorsteps), Maypoles (poles from which colorful ribbons are stretched for Morris dancing), and the crowning of the May Queen. Based on these traditions, I offer here a few ideas to inspire your May Day proposal:

1. May Basket. Purchase a small, but exquisite basket and place the ring box at the bottom. Fill in the space around the ring with your sweetheart's favorite treats. Weave fresh-picked wildflowers into the handle and heap a handful more into the basket, on top of the treasures at the bottom. Choose a time when you know your sweetheart will be home, preferably in the morning after she's had her shower and coffee. Place the basket quietly on her front porch, ring the doorbell, and run just out of view. May baskets are typically left anonymously, so make sure she doesn't see you. If she takes the basket inside, no problem. In fact, that might be perfect. As soon as she's back inside, sneak up onto the porch and kneel in front of her door. Believe me, when she finds that ring box she will open her door to find you.
2. May Basket Treasure Hunt. Perhaps you want to milk the May basket idea a bit. Instead of placing the ring box in the basket, you can hide the first of a number of clues to find you. We recommend making yourself the object of her search, rather than actually hiding the ring outdoors. This scavenger hunt could end at the community park where the May Day festivities are taking place, or it could end in a secluded place the two of you love. If you choose a secluded place, spread a picnic of her favorite lunch foods. Consider hiding the next clues in favorite places you frequent together. If you enjoy a special bistro, museum, or gallery, hide your clues with your hosts or hostesses at these locations. The more human interaction she has along her journey to find you, the more memorable the day will be. Knowing that you've coordinated with people who are part of your story will mean a lot to her. If you prefer a more public spectacle, read on.
3. May Day Celebration--The Public Spectacle. Whether you choose to send your sweetheart on a treasure hunt to find you, or whether you text her with a meeting place, be sure she winds up at your community's May Day celebration (or the one in a town nearby). Before the big day, speak with the festival coordinator in order to determine the perfect time to make your move. If your town crowns a May Queen, perhaps you can arrange for your sweetheart to be chosen, or for her to receive an honorary crown (and you on your knees) just after or just before the true queen is crowned. If there is maypole dancing, find a way to incorporate your proposal during the final moments of the dance. You could also arrange for a special appearance by horse-drawn carriage. This way, you can pop the question in public and then whisk her away to a picnic lunch by carriage, where you can celebrate in private.

Whichever way you choose to go with your May Day Proposal, you absolutely cannot go wrong with lots of flowers, special treats, and of course, you on your knees holding the ring!