A helicopter proposal provides more than one memorable moment. Combining a helicopter tour with a proposal is an entire experience, an amazing way to witness the beauty of Maui on one of the best days of your life.
Engaged on Maui works exclusively with Air Maui for our helicopter proposals. Their team coordinates with our team to get your flight scheduled and ensure you have the best time seeing Maui from the sky. Their pilots are not only experienced professionals but also act as tour guides, telling you interesting facts so you can learn about what you are seeing. Above all, we were sold by their 100% safety rating. Air Maui adheres to the highest standards of safety and has a perfect safety record of over 25 years to show for it.
How does a helicopter proposal work?
For a helicopter proposal, it will just seem like you are going on a helicopter tour as guests. Air Maui will be aware that you are going to pop the question but won’t give away the secret. You’ll be given instructions and treated like any other passenger, so your sweetie won’t suspect a thing.
Your photographer will be on board with you during the flight, pretending to be another tourist on the helicopter.
You will be asked to check in at the heliport 30 minutes before take off. This time is needed for you to watch a short safety video and get instructions before you board the helicopter.
As long as it works out with weight requirements, you and your soon-to-be fiancé will be seated in the front of the helicopter next to the pilot, where you’ll get the best view. The photographer will be in the back where they will be able to document highlights of the tour and discreetly snap a few candids of you enjoying the sights before the proposal.
Once you get to the landing, it’s go time! You only have 15-20 minutes at the landing, so you should walk to your proposal spot right away to make the most of your time.
Don’t worry! We will give you an itinerary that tells you where to go and what to do for the big moment. Your photographer will be hanging back, pretending to take pictures of the scenery, while secretly waiting for you to get down on one knee so they can capture every second.
After the proposal, you can reveal it was all a set up. Your photographer will come over and introduce themselves and you’ll do a quick mini engagement session at the landing before getting back into the helicopter.
What are the helicopter tours offered?
There are two helicopter tours that will work for proposals: Cliffside Landing – Hana & Haleakala and Oceanfront Landing – West Maui & Molokai.
Cliffside Landing – Hana & Haleakala
For Cliffside Landing, you begin the tour by flying above Haleakala. Haleakala translates to the “House of the Sun.” In Hawaiian legend, Haleakala is known for being the spot at which the demigod Maui ensnared the sun, freeing it only after it promised to linger longer in the sky.
After getting a bird’s eye view of our dormant volcano, you venture to east Maui to the rugged area of Kaupo where you will propose.
At Cliffside Landing, there are multiple spots to get down on one knee…
With the ocean in the background
With the mountains in the background
Or angle yourselves on the left side of the cliff
Or the right side of the cliff
Once you ask the all-important question, you can relax and enjoy your engagement session at Cliffside Landing!
After the proposal and engagement session on the landing, you get back in the helicopter and fly over Hana. This is our more jungle-y side of Maui, so it’s really lush and green, perfect for viewing waterfalls! Whether or not you decide to drive the infamous Road to Hana, it’s also a really neat perspective to see the twists and turns of the road from the air.
Oceanfront Landing – West Maui & Molokai
Oceanfront Landing is only available on weekdays. For Oceanfront Landing, you actually fly over to Molokai first, where you get to see the tallest sea cliffs in the world on the north side of the island and waterfalls in the rainforest.
Towards the end of your flight, you’ll return to Maui and land in Kahakuloa, a small, secluded village that offers a glimpse of old Hawaii.
Oceanfront Landing has one ideal proposal spot. If you follow our directions, we can get the palm tree, ocean, and the head of Kahakuloa in the background of your proposal.
Oceanfront Landing is smaller than Cliffside Landing, so we’ll capture you by the prettiest backdrops before continuing across the West Maui Mountains and back to the heliport.
Air Maui does offer other helicopter tours, but we don’t offer them for proposals because no landing takes place.
Similarly, you may notice that Air Maui has a “Marry Me Tour” on their website. This option is a quick tour that includes flying over a beach. On the beach, there is a “WILL YOU MARRY ME?” banner with your sweetie’s name written in the sand.
With this tour, there is no landing, so you don’t get down on one knee. Since the photographer would be seated in back of you and wouldn’t be able to capture your faces, Engaged on Maui does not have a helicopter proposal package with this flyover tour. However, if you decide to do a beach proposal flight with Air Maui and not document your proposal, we can help you with an engagement session after your flight instead.
What are Engaged on Maui’s helicopter proposal packages?
Engaged on Maui has two helicopter proposal packages: Air Maui Ala Carte and Air Maui Private Charter.
Air Maui Ala Carte Package
Our Air Maui Ala Carte package includes three seats – one for you, your other half, and your photographer. The helicopter fits up to six passengers, depending on weight, so there will at least be another couple on board with you, if not three other people besides the photographer.
To preserve your memories, Air Maui Ala Carte comes with a 5×5″ 10-page highlight album as well as digital backups of the images in your album.
Air Maui Private Charter Package
The Air Maui Private Charter Package means you rent out the entire helicopter so it’s completely private. The photographer brings along an assistant so it’s less suspicious. Or if you choose to add on videography, the videographer and photographer can pretend they are traveling together.
The Private Charter package also includes two leis and champagne upon return to the heliport.
The 10-page highlight album is upgraded to a bigger 8×8″ size, and of course, those digital backups are included to make sharing with family and friends a breeze!
What else can you add on to make a helicopter proposal special?
A helicopter proposal brings plenty of wow factor as it is, but we do have a few favorite add ons.
24-Hour Sneak Peek
Our number one recommendation is always to add a 24-Hour Sneak Peek to your proposal package. Our turnaround time is 2-4 weeks, so that sneak peek will give you a photo of the proposal to make that announcement on social media within 24 hours.
Mini Engagement Session
Your engagement session at the helicopter landing is short and sweet. Adding a Mini Engagement Session prolongs the fun and adds diversity to your images. After the helicopter tour, you follow your photographer to a nearby beach to capture those quintessential Maui vacation photos.
Videography
Video really has the ability to let you relive your big moment. Something about the movement and seeing the two of you interacting gives us all the feels.
Videography can be added on to the Private Charter package. Your videographer joins your photographer aboard the helicopter and edits your footage into a short film set to music.
Is a helicopter proposal the right fit for you?
If you are looking for an activity and proposal in one, a helicopter proposal may be calling your name!
The advantage of pairing a proposal as a surprise during your helicopter tour means that you don’t have to come up with a cover story to get your sweetie to a certain place at a certain time. You can simply tell them you booked a helicopter tour, and Air Maui told you when you need to be at the heliport.
We can even send you a PDF that looks like it came straight from Air Maui. This comes in handy if your sweetie is the type who likes to print out itineraries and organize your vacation.
A helicopter proposal is also perfect for those who want their proposal to be a more intimate moment. Of course, the Private Charter guarantees you the most privacy. But the Ala Carte still gives you a remote setting with only a few witnesses.
Both tours are impressive. The view from the helicopter is a unique way to experience the majesty of Maui, and the landings are picturesque proposal backdrops.
When is a helicopter proposal NOT the right fit?
A helicopter proposal may not work if either of you have a fear of heights or get severe motion sickness.
Since the helicopter tour is an activity and a proposal, it is among our higher priced packages.
Lastly, a helicopter proposal doesn’t allow for anything to be set up at the proposal site. If you’re wanting flowers or some other details to be waiting at the place you pop the question, we can help you select a location that is best suited for a beautiful proposal set up.
How do you reserve a helicopter proposal?
The first thing to do is fill out our inquiry form, so we can schedule a phone call with you and start planning.
Once you have an idea of your desired proposal date, proposal package (Private Charter or Ala Carte), and tour (Cliffside Landing or Oceanfront Landing), we can check availability with Air Maui and our photographer calendar. If you are inquiring last minute or during a busy travel time, we may have to expand checking availability to several days while you are here on Maui.
Once we have a tentative date and time frame, we can send you a booking link to reserve your helicopter proposal. The booking link requires a signed contract and 50% deposit to secure your date.
When we have a completed booking link, your names, and approximate body weights, we will be able to officially reserve your tour!
From here, you are pretty set until you pay your remaining balance and we send your itinerary over with proposal instructions about a week in advance.
Ready to get started planning your helicopter proposal? Fill out our contact form here!
