A cappella group performing on stage
The A Cappella Blog

How to Propose

Absurdist A Cappella

This time we discuss how to propose.

Setting the Stage: In the previous edition of Absurdist A Cappella, we discussed how to serenade someone with your a cappella group. This time around, we ratcheting the tension up a few notches with more than just a romantic gesture, but perhaps the most romantic gesture of all—proposing marriage via a performance by your a cappella group.

Song Selection: Not so different from the songs you would choose to serenade, this is a good time to stick with a song that has romantic overtones—probably a ballad, maybe something that has particular meaning for you and your significant other. Given how momentous the occasion is, you may want to go with a more traditional song like Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” or Chicago’s “You’re the Inspiration.”

Setting: There are different schools of thought about proposals, from those who want it as intimate as possible in the privacy of home, to those who do things like pop the question on the Jumbotron at a major sporting event. When you’re making the decision to involve your a cappella group in your proposal, though, you need to think beyond yourself and your mate—think about your group. If you’re making this happen in a private setting, how awkward is it going to be for your group to shuffle off after you pop the question, perhaps not even knowing what the answer was. Do this in public, and the group automatically has an audience to celebrate with and to applaud its effort—not to mention the fact that an onlooker might recognize how sensitive your buddy was for backing you up in this romantic endeavor, and so, while you’re locking lips with your new fiancée, he’s getting a date for next Saturday night. That, my friends, is what we call a two-fer.

Choreography: Choreography should be subtle in this instance, because you don’t want to visually take away from the main event—that sparkling piece of Cubic Zyrconium you’re passing off as a diamond to your unsuspecting bride to be. If you have a co-ed group, you might consider coordinating things such that they’ll end up dancing with another in some sort of waltz—further contributing to the romantic mood, but you need to be conscious of having enough space to really make that work.

Other Notes: Proposing to someone using a cappella has a long track record of success.* If you’re old school and want to ask the girl’s father for his blessing first, though, you probably don’t want to bring your a cappella group along for that. If pops is old school enough to expect this gesture, there’s a good chance he’s not new school enough to be down with your level of attachment to your a cappella group. Fly solo for this part.

*This is not, to my knowledge, even remotely true.

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