History Main / AccidentalProposal

-->--'''[[DoctorWho The First Doctor]]''' in ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS1E6TheAztecs The Aztecs]]''

* ''Series/{{Friends}}'': Joey finds Ross's engagement ring, which Ross was going to present to Rachel and ask her to marry him. Joey turns around while happening to be on one knee, still holding the ring. Rachel says yes to Joey.

Common in [[SitCom sitcoms]] and [[SoapOpera soap operas]]. SisterTrope to AccidentalMarriage (indeed, this trope often leads to that one). Can easily lead to a FawltyTowersPlot. Contrast DidntMeanToTurnYouOn, where one character accidentally inspires a love that's a bit less romantic and a bit more... earthly.

It can be done in a number of ways: Bob wishes to propose to Jennifer and shows the engagement ring to Alice, who assumes he's actually proposing to her; Joe wishes to propose Alice and Bob finds the ring and shows it to Alice; Bob says something which, taken out of context, could sound very much like a wedding proposal etc.

Usually played for comedy, but can be played for drama.

Common in [[SitCom sitcoms]] and [[SoapOpera soap operas]]. SisterTrope to AccidentalMarriage (indeed, this trope often leads to that one). Can easily lead to a FawltyTowersPlot. Compare/contrast the MistakenForIndex.

* After viewing a particularly emotional piece, [[MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Vinyl Scratch tells Octavia]] she'd like to go on a "tour that lasts forever." Literally every other character in the Blog/ReadingRainbowverse interprets this as a proposal and starts preparing for her wedding, leading to Vinyl freaking out and locking herself in Fluttershy's bathroom.

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** Inverted in ''VideoGame/OcarinaOfTime'': When Ruto gave the Zora Sapphire to Link, in the eye of a zoran, his acceptance of it would mean that Link accepts her proposal. However, Link only needs the sapphire to open the inner chamber of the Temple of Time. So Ruto proposed to Link, but he interpreted it in a different way.

* In ''TheElenium'', Sparhawk uses two near-identical ruby rings in order to save Queen Ehlana's life. One is traditionally worn by his family line, and the other by hers. Later he tries to return the ring to her, only for Ehlana to spot it's actually his family's ring rather than hers. She leaps on the mistake in order to make good on her [[WifeHusbandry childhood ambition of marrying him]].

* In an [[ArchieComics Archie Comic]], in one of the Xmas issues, Moose shows Jughead a jewellery store window with a birthstone ring. He then asks Jughead to find out from his girlfriend, Midge, if she'd like that ring for Christmas. So later, Jug casually asks Midge if she would like the ring in the store window. Midge kisses Jughead and runs off in ultimate excitement. Turns out the jeweller had since placed a diamond engagement ring in the birthstone's spot. Since Moose was normally so jealous that he was known to hospitalize other guys for merely ''talking'' to Midge, Jughead was now seriously in deep doo-doo.

* In TimBurton's ''Film/CorpseBride'', JohnnyDepp's character is practicing his wedding vows in the forest because he just can't get them right. When he manages to do it correctly, he slips the ring onto what he assumes is a twig sticking up from the ground. Instead, it's HelenaBonhamCarter's character's hand, she is the titular character and believes it to be a proposal. A BackStory tells us that she was murdered before her wedding. This leads directly to an AccidentalMarriage.

* {{Dexter}} and Rita become engaged when Rita sees Dexter holding a ring (... actually belonging to Dexter's sister's boyfriend) and assumes it's a proposal. In a twist, Dexter goes along with it.

* When ''GarrettPI'' and his girlfriend Tinnie encounter a powerful sorceress, he's worried the woman's flirty mannerisms will provoke Tinnie into a ''faux pas'' that will get them both blasted. He introduces Tinnie as his fiancee purely to defuse the situation, only to have her hold him to it and demand a ring a few pages later.
* In ''[[JohnCarterofMars A Princess of Mars]]'', John Carter becomes engaged to Dejah Thoris after she calls him "my chieftain" and he responds by calling her "my princess", with him not knowing what the exchange of those terms means. It takes him some time to work out why she becomes so upset with him.
* RobertHeinlein's ''Literature/TheNumberOfTheBeast''. While dancing together, Zebadiah Carter and Deety Burroughs enjoy a passionate tango together. Zebadiah says "Whew! After a tango like that the couple ought to get married." Deety takes him completely seriously (not realizing he was just joking) and accepts his proposal.
* In Louisa May Alcott's ''[[LittleWomen Jo's Boys]]'', Tommy accidently proposes to Dora while still thinking himself in love with Nan, who had resolved to become a doctor and so never marry. He is unable to contradict her on the spot, and the effect of the engagement is to shake him out of ObliviousToLove. (Nan makes up a basket of medical supplies for a wedding present, knowing Dora will need it for his accidents.)
* In PGWodehouse's ''Literature/JeevesAndWooster'' stories, Bertie once tried to act as a go-between for Madeline and Gussie. It convinced Madeline that he was speaking for himself. Not only did she consider them engaged, later, after that engagement was broken and she was engaged to another man, she broke it off and declared she would instead marry Bertie and make him happy.

* In ''TheVicarOfDibley'', the vicar (a woman) is asked by her love interest "will you be the one to marry me?", by which he means to join him and his partner in Holy Matrimony, rather than to become his wife. She misinterprets this and, when he introduces the other woman as his fiancee, yells whilst laughing "I don't think so!" then realises and apologises, pretending it was a joke.
* ''HowIMetYourMother''

** Also in ''HowIMetYourMother'', a sparkling wine flute containing a ring was delivered to Ted and Robin's table while they were on the first anniversary date, rather than the table next to theirs. When Robin sees it she yells "Noo, no no no no no no no, No! No, no no no, no, no, No!"

* In [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhJHNzy7u2A a sketch]] on ''MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' a man goes to a male marriage registrar and asks the registrar to marry him to his fiance, but the registrar misunderstands and thinks the man is asking him to marry him. He accepts, although he does have a wife already, but he amiably decides to get a divorce. Another man comes in and asks the registrar to marry him and the registrar says he'd already accepted the other man's proposal. In the end it turns out they're all StraightGay (including the first man's fiance and the registrar's "wife"); they all get married and live together happily ever after.

* Mr. Humphries and Mrs. Slocombe on ''AreYouBeingServed'': he was going to suggest something else to her, but she thought he was about to propose marriage, and when he started with, "I propose," she interrupted with, "And I accept!"

** In a sidequest in ''VideoGame/TheWindWaker'', Maggie thinks Moe the moblin's letter to her is a marriage proposal. In reality, it only says "I want to eat you for dinner."

* In ''[[VideoGame/WallaceAndGromitsGrandAdventures Wallace and Gromit's Grand Adventures's]]'' episode 3, Wallace accidentally proposes to Miss Flitt while picking up a lugnut that she mistakes for a wedding ring. Sorting this out takes up a good part of the plot of episode 4.

* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda''

* In [[VideoGame/WallaceAndGromitsGrandAdventures Wallace and Gromit's Grand Adventures's]] episode 3, Wallace accidentally proposes to Miss Flitt while picking up a lugnut that she mistakes for a wedding ring. Sorting this out takes up a good part of the plot of episode 4.

* In [[VideoGame/WallaceAndGromitsGrandAdventures Wallace and Gromit's Grand Adventures]]'s episode 3, Wallace accidentally proposes to Miss Flitt while picking up a lugnut that she mistakes for a wedding ring. Sorting this out takes up a good part of the plot of episode 4.

* In ''[[VideoGame/WallaceAndGromitsGrandAdventures Wallace and Gromit's Grand Adventures']]'' episode 3, Wallace accidentally proposes to Miss Flitt while picking up a lugnut that she mistakes for a wedding ring. Sorting this out takes up a good part of the plot of episode 4.

* In ''[[VideoGame/WallaceAndGromitsGrandAdventures Wallace and Gromit's Grand Adventures']] episode 3, Wallace accidentally proposes to Miss Flitt while picking up a lugnut that she mistakes for a wedding ring. Sorting this out takes up a good part of the plot of episode 4.

* At the end of the ''VideoGame/WallaceAndGromitsGrandAdventures'' episode ''Muzzled!'', when Wallace showed Felicity Flitt a bolt from [[spoiler: his broken ice cream maker]], she thought he was proposing and said yes. The plot of ''The Bogey Man'' starts off with Wallace and Gromit trying to find a way to cancel the engagement by [[ItMakesSenseInContext joining a country club]].

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