Can we talk about proposal videos for a second? Because I have watched thousands of them over my 15 years in this industry — from shaky iPhone footage to full cinematic productions — and I can tell you with absolute certainty: the ones that make people stop scrolling and reach for the tissues are NEVER the ones with the fanciest cameras. They’re the ones with the realest moments. The shaking hands. The happy gasp. The part where someone can’t even get the words out. THAT is the content people live for. So whether you have professional footage, a shaky iPhone video, or nothing at all — I’m going to help you create something beautiful.
Why Video Announcements Hit Differently
There’s a reason proposal reaction videos go viral every single week. It’s not because people are nosy (well, not only because of that). It’s because watching someone experience one of the best moments of their life is genuinely moving. Joy is contagious. And video captures it in a way that a static photo — no matter how beautiful — simply can’t.
A photo shows a moment frozen in time. A video shows the moment actually happening. The breath before the ring comes out. The disbelief. The laughter. The tears. The part where someone immediately starts planning the wedding out loud before they’ve even stood back up. Those are the details that make a proposal story feel real and alive. And those are the details that make your engagement announcement unforgettable.
Creative Engagement Announcement Video Ideas for Every Personality
Not sure what kind of video to make? Here are some of my favorite formats, and the kind of couple each one works best for:
THE SURPRISE REACTION REEL
This is the gold standard. If someone happened to be filming when the proposal happened — whether a friend, family member, or a hired photographer — and you caught your genuine reaction, this is the footage you build around. Keep the edit simple. Let the emotion carry it. Add a song that means something to you and let people feel what you felt. This format works for every kind of couple because genuine emotion is universally beautiful.
THE STORYTELLING REEL
If you don’t have footage of the actual proposal, the storytelling reel is your move. This is where you sit down (or walk somewhere meaningful), talk to the camera, and tell the story. How it happened. What you thought was going on. The moment you realized. What you said. This format is incredibly engaging because people love hearing a story told by the person who lived it. Bonus: you don’t need any special footage or editing skills. Just you, your voice, and the story.
THE MONTAGE REEL
Pull together your favorite photos from throughout your relationship — from the early days to the proposal — set them to a meaningful song, and let the story tell itself through images. This format is beautiful for couples who have been together for a while and have a lot of photos documenting their journey. It’s nostalgic, it’s emotional, and it gets incredible engagement.
THE ‘DAY OF’ REEL
This is the reel that documents the day of the proposal — not just the moment itself, but the whole day. Getting ready in the morning not knowing what was coming. The location. The moment. The aftermath. The phone calls. The first dinner as an engaged couple. It’s a mini documentary of one of the most significant days of your life, and it is absolutely gorgeous when done well.
How to Reenact Your Proposal for Social Media
Here’s something I want you to know: a lot of the most stunning ‘proposal’ content you see on social media is actually a reenactment. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. You deserve to have that moment documented beautifully — and if the original footage was shaky, blurry, or just didn’t exist, recreating it intentionally is a gift to yourself.
Here’s how to reenact your proposal in a way that feels authentic and not forced:
- Go back to the actual location if at all possible. The real setting adds authenticity that can’t be replicated, even in a recreation.
- Wear something you actually feel good in — it doesn’t have to be what you were wearing during the proposal. This is a recreation, not a documentary.
- Use a tripod or enlist a trusted friend to film. You want stable, thoughtful footage — not another shaky video.
- Let it be somewhat spontaneous even within the structure. Give yourself permission to be emotional, to laugh, to be surprised again even though you know it’s coming.
- Don’t over-direct it. The more natural it feels, the better it will look.
The goal isn’t to fake it. The goal is to capture the truth of what that moment meant — just with better lighting and a steadier camera.
Creating the Perfect Proposal Reaction Recap Reel
If you have raw proposal footage and you want to turn it into a reel that will make your grandmother cry in the best possible way, here’s what you need to know:
- You don’t need fancy editing software. CapCut and InShot are both free, incredibly easy to use, and capable of producing stunning results.
- Choose a song that means something to you — not just whatever is trending. The music is half the emotion of a reaction reel, and something with personal significance will hit harder than a popular audio clip.
- Edit chronologically. Let the story unfold in order: the moment before, the moment of, and the immediate aftermath. Keep it simple.
- Don’t over-edit. The raw emotion IS the content. Resist the urge to add a hundred filters and transitions. Let the footage breathe.
- Keep it short — 60 to 90 seconds is usually the sweet spot. Long enough to tell the story, short enough to hold attention all the way through.
- Add text sparingly, if at all — maybe the date, maybe the location. You don’t need to narrate what people can already see.
When you post it, write a caption that tells the story. Not a dissertation — just enough to give people context and let them feel what you felt. And then put your phone down, because your comment section is about to explode.
The ‘How It Started vs. How It’s Going’ Engagement Edition
This format never, ever gets old — and for good reason. It works. The contrast between who you were when you first got together and who you are now is genuinely moving, and the engagement glow-up version of this trend is one of my absolute favorites.
Here’s how to do it:
- Find the earliest photo you have of the two of you together. Ideally the very first photo you ever took — the grainy one, the goofy one, the one where neither of you looks your best. That’s the good stuff.
- Pair it with your engagement photo — or even just a ring selfie or proposal shot. The contrast should feel significant.
- Keep the caption simple. Something like: ‘How it started. How it’s going.’ Or add a line that captures the journey: ‘Five years, ten thousand memories, and one very important question later.’
The magic of this format is what it does to the people who have been watching your relationship from the beginning. The friends who were there for the first date. The family members who have been rooting for you two for years. When they see that side-by-side? It’s emotional in the best possible way.
The worst early photo you have of yourselves together might be the most powerful image in your entire engagement announcement.
Sharing Your Behind-the-Scenes Proposal Story
Here’s a content truth that sometimes surprises people: behind-the-scenes content outperforms polished content almost every single time. People don’t just want to see the beautiful ring photo. They want to know HOW. The planning. The nerves. The things that almost went wrong. The moment you knew what was happening before he even got down on one knee.
Consider sharing your proposal story in full — not just a highlight clip, but the whole thing. The detail about the restaurant reservation that almost got the wrong date. The way he was acting weird all morning and you thought something was wrong. The moment your best friend’s face gave it away at the surprise party. The unremarkable Tuesday where everything changed.
These are the details that make your story YOURS. And they are the content that people save, share, comment on, and come back to. They are the reason someone new finds your page and immediately goes back to the beginning because they want to know the whole story.
Tell it. All of it. Your story is worth telling.
Tips for Filming and Editing Your Engagement Content
- Film horizontally for YouTube or Facebook video; vertically for TikTok, Instagram Reels, and Stories.
- Good audio matters as much as good video — if you’re talking to camera, film somewhere quiet.
- Natural light always, if possible — same rules as the ring selfie apply here.
- Batch your content filming — if you’re going to make multiple videos about your engagement, film them in the same session so you only have to get camera-ready once.
- Save ALL of your raw footage, even the stuff you think you’ll never use — you’ll thank yourself later.
- Don’t wait until everything is ‘perfect’ to post — authentic and imperfect beats polished and delayed every single time.
Next Steps: Planning Your Engagement Photo Session
Now that you’ve thought through your video content strategy — let’s talk about getting professional photos to complement it. Your engagement session is where you get the images that will anchor your announcement content, your save-the-dates, your wedding website, and so much more. A good photographer will give you images that stop the scroll and make people feel the love you have for each other through a screen.
Book early. Communicate openly. Show up as yourselves. The rest will take care of itself.
Weddings by Holly Lou 
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