An unforgettable proposal does not always mean a "will you marry me?" with balloons and rose petals. Sometimes, all it takes is the simple promise—or in some cases, an epic gesture that took months of planning. We asked our Tatler friends to share the moment they proposed, and then said yes, to sharing the rest of their lives together:

1. Nancy Fung & Dinesh Nihalchand

Tatler Asia
Above Nancy Fung and Dinesh Nihalchand (Photo: Courtesy of Nancy Fung)

"Dinesh proposed to me in Napa Valley in the summer of 2016. We were both still jet-lagged and I wanted to take a nap upon check-in at the hotel. However, he insisted that we went for a picnic that afternoon, and insisted that I should change into something nicer than the t-shirt and shorts I intended on wearing.

When we got there, flowers, champagne and food were all laid out on the picnic table. Dinesh handed me a big box (not a ring box) and asked me to unwrap it. It had seven layers, each with a love note for each year that we were together as he used to write me a note every Sunday.

He read each note to me, then when it got to the last layer of the box, it was a ring box. I did not say yes right away, so throughout our trip, he proceeded to propose to me six more times at different places on his knees until I finally said "yes!" at the Cathay Pacific Lounge on the way back to Hong Kong."

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2. Gigi Chao & Sean Eav

Tatler Asia
Above Sean Eav and Gigi Chao

"We had been together for seven years and had grown accustomed to having each other in our lives, and Sean had reached a point where she really wanted to make it official. One day I came home, and she suggested that we should get married. Of course, I said yes."

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3. Océane & Winston Koo

Tatler Asia
Above Océane and Winston Koo (Photo: Courtesy of Océane Koo)

"I don't think we went the conventional proposal route.  It was actually the week after we first met. Océane, my friend and myself were supposed to have dinner together. My friend cancelled at the very last minute, but Océane and I still decided to go to dinner. 

If I recall correctly, we spent the whole time talking and getting to know each other, barely touching the food (luckily the chef was a good buddy of mine and he didn't take offence). Not to sound cliché, but it was such an amazing and magical evening. Before dessert was served, I said to her, "I hope this doesn't put you off, but if you let this (meaning "us") play out naturally, you'll be my wife one day."

I also added, "I completely understand if you're in shock and would like to be excused to the lady's room and never come back again." Let's just say luckily for me, she stayed." 

4. Denise Ho & David Lin

Tatler Asia
Above David Lin and Denise Ho (Photo: Courtesy of Denise Ho)

"I got pregnant, so I was just waiting for him to propose. He said his original plan didn't work out and he ended up proposing in front of an aquarium in Okinawa. He pretty much got down on one knee in front of a bunch of Chinese tourists, it was very adorable."

5. Ivan & Angie Ting

Tatler Asia
Above Angie and Ivan Ting

"It was in San Francisco. It wasn’t a windy day, but Ivan kept holding on to a windbreaker wherever we went. I actually asked him a few times why he needed to hold on to it. We went to quite a few places for sight-seeing, including Marin Headland with the beautiful Golden Gate Bridge as the backdrop.

It was windy up there, so I asked to borrow the windbreaker. Suddenly, Ivan got down on one knee and proposed. It was kind of funny that he pulled the zip on the windbreaker I was wearing to take the ring out. It was very sweet. We still laugh about it to this day."

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