For all those planning a dream proposal - we got your back!

Planning a proposal can be nerve wrecking - we know! You’ve finally mustered up the courage to pop the question, that’s so awesome! But the big question is - HOW DO YOU DO IT? We’ve had an increasing number of enquiries for a proposal on board our yachts over the years, and we thought it’ll be good to share some considerations you’ll need to think about for a yacht proposal, based on our experience in running such charters thus far!

1. Who will be on board?

Do you want it to be a private romantic cruise (just the two of you), or would you prefer to propose in the presence of friends and family? Think about how private / public you’d like this surprise to be! Depending on your preference, the “backstory” leading to the surprise will differ.

Here’s some backstory examples to give you some inspiration:

For just the two of you:

Example 1 - We’ve had some couples who booked a staycation in Sentosa, and groom/bride claims the yacht experience was ‘part of the couple room package’. (We can amp up the experience with a private chef on board if you’d like a fancy meal for 2!)
Example 2 - You’re engaged by us to do a photoshoot / You’ve won a free couple photoshoot. (This helps the decorations and photographer look less suspicious)

For a public surprise:

Example 3 - Just a casual day out / birthday celebration with friends and/or family. (Everyone has to be in on the surprise when you spring it in the middle of the charter.)
Example 4 - You’ve won a free yacht charter from some lucky draw / your company’s Dinner&Dance / random online contest and want to treat both your families!

COVID-19 Disclaimer: Do note that the total number of guests allowed on board is currently dependent on existing COVID-19 restrictions.

2. when is the best timing to pop the question?

Our minimum yacht booking are 2 hours on weekdays or 4 hours on weekends. You can choose to book our morning slots from 10am - 2pm, or evening slots from 4pm - 8pm, or anything in between, as long as there is availability (we are flexible!). Usually, we’d recommend our clients to go with at least 4 hours, independent of the type of plans they have. This is so that everyone on board (whether it’s just 2 of you, or a group of people) can have ample time to enjoy their time on the yacht, swim, chill and unwind for the day.

Our most popular time slot is always the evening slot 4pm - 8pm, where the magical moment usually happens as the sun sets - the golden hour for romance and beautiful photos. However, this slot (especially on weekends) can get really crowded at the island. If you’d like a more private moment, the mornings are much quieter and more intimate. You can also start earlier in the morning if you want softer lighting for photos!

3. WHERE TO GET DOWN ON ONE KNEE?

For our yachts, we’d always recommend the front deck of the yacht, where there is plenty of deck space and you get a clear, unobstructed view of the beautiful environment around you.

And, don’t forget a yacht can move! This means you can have plenty of choices for your backdrop, whether it’s for the special moment or for more photos later:

You can propose before we even set sail - ONE 15 Marina Club and all its beautiful luxury yachts will be your backdrop;
We can sail to nowhere - the horizon out at sea is the ideal background when it’s perfect weather;
We can sail towards Marina Bay - Singapore’s most iconic city skyline serves as a beautiful scene to commemorate your special moment.
You can also choose to disembark and propose on Lazarus Island itself - a picturesque sandy beach that can look like a private beach if you choose a weekday or early morning (before 10am) slot!

Our typical itinerary for most of our yacht charters includes sailing around the Southern Islands for 1 hour, anchoring/docking at Lazarus Island for 2 hours, and sailing towards the Marina Bay area for a view of the city skyline before heading back to the marina. That being said, what you’d like to do during the charter is entirely up to you - we’ve had couples who choose to cruise the whole journey, and we’ve had couples who want to disembark to take more photos on the island. Our itineraries are customizable, and we can always adjust it accordingly to what you have in mind!

ximulasail yacht proposal lazarus island

4. HOW TO KEEP IT A SURPRISE?

To minimize the risk of spoiling the surprise, please allow us to offer some suggestions:

#protip: Arrange for a viewing / recce before the event itself, so you can have a better idea of the space available, share and discuss your ideas with our crew so we can better advise if your plans are feasible or there’s anything you’d need to look out for.
Leave all the prep work to your friends, or better yet, the professionals, so all you need to focus on the day itself is yourself and your fiancé/fiancée. We work with several trusted vendors for food, decor, flowers, photography, and anything you may need for your proposal.
Plan a proper “backstory” to arrive at the yacht. Do note that unlike a typical proposal on land, the yacht’s berth requires access. This means that it is not feasible to “chance upon the yacht and go on board to have a look”. Also, if you have guests involved in the setup/surprise, please help us by appointing a friend to gather everyone first before we proceed to the boat together.

5. What about Decorations?

When it comes to romance out at sea, we’d say you can never go wrong with flowers, fairylights (for evening cruises) and your couple mementos (e.g. photos, letters, etc). Keep it simple, so it doesn’t take away the attention from 1) the love between you two, 2) the scenic view of nature, and 2) our beautiful yacht, of course.

We also like to suggest simplicity because, unlike in a room or hall or indoor setting, decorations on a boat are subject to strong winds (or even rain) out at sea. Therefore, it is important to make sure your decorations are secured in place. As much as we try to prevent it, it is not uncommon to see decorations get blown away into the sea while cruising. (P.S. This is why balloons and confetti are now banned due to conservation efforts.) If you're looking to bring your own decorations, be sure to bring along many zip ties and tapes, so that the decorations stays secure throughout your charter, and can also be easily removed afterwards.

Do allocate sufficient time prior to the charter for your setup; we usually allow guests to come on board for setup up to 30 minutes before the charter. If you require more time, please do book extra hours! Trust us on this - for a simple setup, 1 hour is a comfortable time frame; for more elaborated decorations, do buffer a minimum of 2 hours. The last thing you’d want to stress about on this already stressful day is how to delay the arrival of your fiancé/fiancée because your decorations are not ready (which has unfortunately happened to some of our unprepared guests before).

If you prefer not to have such unnecessary stress, or just want a more fuss free experience, you can leave it to our good friends from Petite Petale, who have executed countless setups for our guests for their weddings, proposals, and all types of occasions! With their expertise and experience, the Petite Petale team can advise you according to your budget and preferences, and ensure that your setup is delivered and completed on time without fail. Here are some photos of the decorations for a proposal on board:

6. What to wear?

The short answer: keep it simple!

Out at sea (and in Singapore’s sweltering weather), there is really no need for you to come all dolled up in a suit and tie! We always recommend to dress casual and comfortable. On board our yachts, it is most important for you and your fiancé/fiancée to be in the most comfortable state, and just enjoy the sun rays lighting up your faces, breeze in your hair and all. Do also bring along a change of clothes and towels, if you plan to go for a swim during the charter.

7. Bonus - HOW TO PROPOSE??

HOW ABOUT A HIDDEN MESSAGE?

If you have been following our socials, you’ll probably notice our signature proposal style - a hidden message on our jib sail! Being one of the few charter yachts in the industry that hoist our sails during the charter, we invented this style to level up the surprise factor for this significant moment! The message will be installed before your charter, and revealed as the sails unfurl at your cue. (P.S. Do note that the yacht needs to be cruising before we can unfurl our sails, so the proposal has to be out at sea, instead of at dock / while anchored.)

8. How much to budget?

Many of our clients have enquired for a package cost, however from our experience, every yacht proposal is different with a unique set of preferences. Hence, we broke it down for everyone so you can customize your yacht proposal easily according to what you envision:

CHARTER COST:

Weekdays (Mon - Fri): S$1200 for 4 hours
Weekends (Sat, Sun, Public Holidays & Eves): S$1400 for 4 hours (minimum)
Extension: S$200 per additional hour

Other add-ons:

Food: Order from our partner menu at S$30 - S$50 per guest or hire a private chef on board from S$1000 for 2.
Drinks: Free flow of soft drinks at S$10/guest + Top up with our alcohol packages from S$120 for 2 cartons of beer.
Sail Stickers (inclusive of printing, delivery, installation & tear down): S$250 - S$350
Professional Photographers & Videographers: S$300 - S$400 per hour (we can recommend the tried-and-tested pros we’ve worked with before, so you don’t have to fret about a vendor suffering from seasickness).
Decorations (inclusive of delivery, setup & tear down): From S$900 for basic styling of fresh flower posies, sash and ribbons, fairylights all around the yacht (more elaborate styling or exotic flowers will incur higher cost).

All prices listed are before GST.

Other faqS

What are some of the COVID restrictions that we have to adhere to?

With the current pandemic, we are required to follow the Safe Management Measures in place. As such, the total number of guests allowed on board will vary with the existing restrictions (Following COVID guidelines as at 19 Aug 2021, we are restricted to max. 5 guests on board). All guests and vendors are also required to have their masks at all times during the charter, except when eating, drinking or during water activities.

Can we have food and drinks on board?

Yes sure! Feel free to bring your own food and drinks (with no additional cost or corkage fees), or you can also pre-order through us so we can save you the hassle.

P.S. Do note that F&B restrictions may apply depending on existing COVID guidelines. As at 19 Aug 2021, dining on board is only allowed if all guests are fully vaccinated (more than 14 days after the second dose) or have a valid negative PET result for the full duration of the charter or be aged 12 years or below.

Any complimentary parking?

Unfortunately, no.

As we are only tenants of the marina, it is not within our power to issue complimentary parking tickets. Unlike when you book with a hotel, the hotel staff are able to issue complimentary coupons to you. However, you can request for parking coupons if you’re a member of the marina!

Once you enter ONE°15 Marina Club, security personnel will direct you to the Visitor's Carpark (which links to Sentosa Cove Village). Parking rates are S$1.20/hour from 7:00AM to 5:00PM and S$2.40/entry otherwise.

What about photography and videography?

We have a group of talented photographers and videographers whom we can introduce to you and know for sure that they will not suffer from seasickness and are able to capture and deliver beautiful photo memories for you! Feel free to hire your own photographer/videographer or engage the help of your friends as well. Please note that they will be part of the total head count.

P.S. With regards to COVID guidelines, external vendors such as photographers/videographers are excluded from the group size capped for social gatherings, as long as they are still within the maximum licensed capacity allowed on board. For example, if a yacht is licensed to carry 10 guests and social gatherings are capped at 8 persons, you may have 8 guests + no more than 2 vendors.

Also note that drones are not allowed within the marina due to privacy restrictions. You may use the drone after we’ve exited the marina and best when the yacht is safely anchored at the islands, but take note that smaller-sized drones may not serve well in view of wind conditions out at sea.

Can elderly people board the yacht as well?

Yes definitely! It will be best if you can let us know in advance, so that we can make a special request for a buggy to pick them up instead of having them walk the whole way. Also, do note that our yachts are not wheelchair accessible, therefore any wheelchair-bound guests will still need to be able to step forward to board the boat.

How can I make a booking / payment?

You can go to our booking page and send in an enquiry, or drop us an email at hello@ximulasail.com! We will follow up with the nitty gritty details from there. (:

There you go! we hope that this article has helped you in your proposal planning. If you have further questions, or an idea that you hope to execute on board our yachts, feel free to drop us an email, and we will take it from there!

How to Plan a Surprise Proposal on a Yacht