Proposing marriage is one of the most-exciting and nerve-wracking times for a couple, for both the proposer and their intended.
In many cases, the proposal is planned down to a tee: The Knot's 2024 Jewelry and Engagement Study found that proposal preparation usually begins more than a year in advance, with just 13 percent of respondents reporting it was a spontaneous gesture.
But, sometimes, even the most meticulously planned proposals hit a bump in the road, leading to hilarity or devastation. Here are five examples of proposals that went disastrously wrong.
The 'Titanic' Moment
Many will remember the iconic scene in James Cameron's Titanic, where an elderly Rose drops the Heart of the Ocean back to the doomed ship's final resting place.
The moment was as powerful as it was controversial, but one unfortunate man accidentally replicated the scene while proposing to his girlfriend on a boat. In a 2022 video shared to TikTok account @smclyne, the man gets down on one knee before his girlfriend, and before she even has a chance to react, the ring box falls from his pocket and into the water—where he falls overboard trying to grab it.
Incredibly, he managed to retrieve it—and shows the box to his shocked girlfriend while still floating in the sea.
The Sign
Dave Gibson was vacationing in Thailand with his wife when he stumbled upon a lavish proposal set up on a popular tourist spot, featuring lights, a white floral heart, and giant letters spelling out the words: "Marry Me."
As Gibson is already married, his wife instantly knew the proposal wasn't for her—but the same couldn't be said for the many other couples who walked past the spot. Gibson watched multiple "nervous conversations" happening between people, where one thought the other had planned an incredible surprise proposal.
Having asked staff and learned that the actual proposal wouldn't be happening for several hours, Gibson took out his phone and recorded the reactions of multiple people who wrongly believed they were being proposed to. He told Newsweek at the time that he had witnessed "about 300 people [having] their days ruined."
He shared the video to his TikTok account, @MrDaveGibson, where it was viewed more than 1.1 million times.
The Red Carpet
A 2024 video from TikTok user @aubreylane04 captured the moment she realized her boyfriend was proposing—and how her excitement almost ruined the entire setup.
In the clip, Aubrey opened the door to a house where she found a red carpet leading up the hallway to where her boyfriend was on one knee beside a giant red heart and large lettering reading: "Marry Me."
And in her haste to rush up and accept the proposal, she jumped up and down, slipped on the red carpet, making her crash to her knees—and crawled the rest of the way to his arms.
To make matters worse, friends and family were standing in the sidelines, waiting to celebrate the newly-engaged couple, with one commenter joking at the time: "It's the fact that there are other people in the room, I simply would have passed away."
The Gondola
In 2021, a man planed to propose to his girlfriend during a romantic gondola ride in Las Vegas, with passersby stopping to watch and record the sweet moment.
But as a video from TikTok user @pmarie22 showed, things didn't go to plan. Because, seconds after getting down on one knee—and appearing to get the yes from his future wife—he stood up, the boat rocked, and he fell overboard.
It didn't stop the romantic proposal, however; as he stood up, the man kissed his fiancee while sopping wet, and the gathered crowds started cheering for the happy—if damp—couple.
The hilarious clip has been viewed more than 1.5 million times, with one commenter joking at the time: "He really took falling in love to the next level."
Completely Surprised
One proposal began as a disaster but ended up leading to a heartwarming and completely joyous video, shared in May 2025 by Tonia Olikiabo to her TikTok account, @toniaoliks.
Olikiabo's boyfriend was planning to propose to her, and was waiting in a hotel room for her to get back from a trip out with her cousin. But when Olikiabo entered the room, she saw flower petals, and thought the proposal was for her cousin. And so she stepped to the side to record her cousin being proposed to.
It was only when Olikiabo's boyfriend called her name that she looked properly, and realized he was waiting for her by a giant floral heart—and she screamed in excitement, before rushing to him and getting engaged.
Olikiabo told Newsweek at the time that she and her boyfriend were in a long-distance relationship, with him living in the United States—so the idea that he could be in the hotel room proposing to her never entered her mind.
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