Typically I find that most women never see it coming, and most guys need a little prompting. Everyone wants it to be perfect, which means finding the perfect moment. This can be challenging, considering every 20 seconds I shoot a ball of fire 20 feet up into the hot air balloon. The plan is typically to do it at altitude (around 3-4 thousand feet), tap the guy on the shoulder to let them know it is time, and do a long burn. This gives them 20-30 seconds to profess their love and get down on one knee.

It’s a 360 video below move it around and see the whole experience

You’d be surprised how good with words some of these fine gentlemen are. Some spout out eloquent poetry, others speak about when they knew their significant other was the one, and rest get straight to the point.

No matter what these gentlemen say, I love watching the reaction of the women. Their eyes light up in total surprise and their faces glow. The embrace after she says yes is hard to describe. It’s ridiculously magical. The rest of the hot air balloon flight I get the opportunity to learn about how they met, and then jokingly ask, “So do you guys have a plan and a date set?”.

The second you get engaged that’s the question people always ask. I figure I might as well be the first. To all the wonderful couples and future couples that get engaged on one of our hot air balloon rides, we wish you the best!

Recipe for the perfect engagement
1. Book a private hot air balloon ride (it’s worth the intimacy)
2. Bring a backpack and leave the ring in there till you are ready (keeps you from constantly checking that it is still there)
3. Get the 360-degree video; it’s only an extra $100 and is worth every penny to have the 360-degree moment.

Think Sunrise Or Sunset

Start this next year of your marriage at sunrise with a hot air balloon ride near Seattle directly in front of Mt. Rainier. Sunrise hot air balloon rides for two are special and romantic. You’ll fly at tree top over lakes and rivers with the sun glistening on Mt. Rainier. After your hot air balloon ride is finished, you’ll celebrate with freshly baked croissants, fresh fruit, and an aged bottle of champagne. Want to make it really amazing? Book your anniversary hot air balloon ride as a surprise!

Select A Sunset Hot Air Balloon Ride To Celebrate Your Anniversary

As the sun sets over Seattle, you’ll experience the sunset twice. We typically cross the Auburn Valley from North to South. While flying over Lake Tapps, you’ll see the reflection of the beautiful hot air balloon and wave to families spending time on their pontoon boats. After landing on the Southside of the valley, we’ll celebrate your wedding anniversary with a special bottle of champagne and some triple cream brie. It will be an anniversary you’ll remember forever.

Dates fill up quickly especially if you would like to fly on a Saturday or Sunday during the high season. You’ll want to book right away to reserve your special date. We look forward to helping you make this anniversary celebration the best one yet!

Coming up with a unique and special way to ask your significant other to marry you? Consider asking her to marry you during a beautiful sunset hot air balloon flight. Here are the 5 secrets to pulling off the perfect hot air balloon engagement flight.

1. Selecting A Private Hot Air Balloon Ride vs. Shared Hot Air Balloon Flight

Although it may be cheaper to choose a shared hot air balloon experience, most couples choose to book a private hot air balloon flight. Private balloon flights allow you to capture the special moment with a GoPro without having random people in your video. Private flights cost anywhere from $1000 – $1500, whereas shared flights cost $200 – $300 per person depending on the balloon company.

2. Ask the hot air balloon pilot to help you pick the moment you should ask.

The pilot will know the direction of flight, and can help you pick a great spot to ask. Our special location, resides directly over the Green River or Lake Tapps, with Mt. Rainier in full view. Once the hot air balloon arrives at the spot, the pilot can let you know it’s time by a code word. We typically say “Right on the other side of these trees is the most beautiful spot we fly over.”

3. Timing your speech

In your head, you’ve been going over the perfect way to tell her why you want to spend the rest of your life with her. We’ve had both short and very long speeches. Remember the pilot still has to fly the hot air balloon, and the burner will interrupt your flow. Our pilots do their best to give a signal before squeezing the trigger.

Best time to finally ask the question?

Get down on one knee right after a long burn. You want to make sure you hear her when she says “Yes!”.

4. Have family and friends meet you at the landing site

If you’d like to have your family and friends involved, invite them along. They can follow the crew vehicle during the flight, and greet you at the landing field for a champagne toast.

5. Ask the hot air balloon company if they do anything special for engagements

Some hot air balloon companies provide special wine or champagne. At Seattle Ballooning, we love being part of engagements and do our best to make it perfect. Our launch location is just 25 minutes South of Seattle in Auburn Washington. To help make your engagement perfect, we often bring fresh cut flowers from our property, along with organic raspberries and strawberries from our garden. If you’d like to take the experience to the next level, we are happy to arrange to have drone capture the flight or a limousine to meet you upon landing.

Well, now all you need is that ring!