Hangry 26-year-old unknowingly sabotages her own proposal when she refuses to hike to the "perfect spot," friends side with 3-year boyfriend when he accuses her of ruining the moment: "I'm seriously starving!"

Author image for Ely Bulnes
Ely Bulnes • Writer and Editor
Jun 19, 2025 6:00 PM EDT

Planning a proposal can be tricky. The cultural expectations these days is for it to be something of a surprise. So, it is understandable that some young men would avoid asking their girlfriends too many questions in order to not give their intention away. However, it is important to talk about boundaries and expectations so that things go smoothly. Before my boyfriend proposed to me, we talked about it at length. We would send each other cute or funny proposal videos over Instagram reels, and I'd say whether I thought it was cute, romantic, or cringey. That way my man got a feel for how to pop the question.
In our story today, a young man makes a very vague attempt at proposing to our protagonist. I am putting it this way because, even though it was supposed to be a surprise, he gave no hint of his intentions when he demanded that they go on an evening hike. Not knowing it was supposed to be a big moment, our protagonist was more focused on her hunger than in going on an adventure.

Add as a preferred
source on Google
Advertisement
  • 01

    AITA for "ruining" my boyfriend's perfect proposal plan because I was hangry?

    "Why did I leave the house if there's no food here?"
    via MariDav

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02
    I (26F) have been dating my boyfriend (27M) for a little over 3 years. He's great. Smart, funny, decent cook (if you like everything covered in hot sauce),
    via u/Direct_Video_7828
  • 03
    and just a genuinely sweet guy. We've talked about marriage, so it wasn't a surprise that he was gonna propose at some point. I just didn't know how or when.
    via u/Direct_Video_7828
  • 04
    So here's what happened. Last week, he told me to get dressed nice but comfy, and that we were going for a "surprise evening." First of all, that's already
    via u/Direct_Video_7828
  • 05
    suspicious, because the man once told me "surprise food" and took me to Taco Bell. But okay. I went along with it. We end up driving like 45 minutes out of the city to this really pretty nature trail near a lake.
    via u/Direct_Video_7828
  • 06
    Mind you. It's already 6:30 PM, I hadn't eaten since lunch, and all I had was a granola bar that I shared with our dog earlier. So I'm getting grumpy. And not
    via u/Direct_Video_7828
  • 07
    cute-sassy grumpy. Like, "Why did I leave the house if there's no food here" kind of grumpy. He wants to go on this long walk to "the perfect spot" and I'm like bro... I love you, but I'm about to chew on this pinecone.
    via u/Direct_Video_7828
  • 08
    Cheezburger Image 10519322368
    via Maridav

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 09
    I start complaining. Not screaming or anything, just "I'm seriously starving, can we go get food first and come back?" He's acting weird and insists we go now or the moment will be gone (??). I don't get it
    via u/Direct_Video_7828
  • 10
    and say I'm not walking any further without food. He gets quiet, we leave, and end up getting burgers. Later that night, he tells me that he was going to propose there, and I "ruined the moment."
    via u/Direct_Video_7828
  • 11
    Cheezburger Image 10519322112
    via LordHenriVoton

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 12
    I feel kinda bad because yeah... I did complain a lot. But also??? He planned a full-on hike during dinner time and didn't bring snacks? Does he not know
    via u/Direct_Video_7828
  • 13
    me?? I told him maybe next time, schedule a proposal when I'm not at war with my stomach. He laughed but I can tell he's still a little disappointed.
    via u/Direct_Video_7828
  • 14
    Now his friends are saying I was "self-centered" and "k lled the romance." My friends say if he wanted a perfect moment, he should've fed me first.
    via u/Direct_Video_7828
  • 15
    So, AITA for ruining my own proposal because I was hangry and needed fries more than a fiancé?
    via u/Direct_Video_7828
  • 16
    TLDR: Boyfriend planned a surprise proposal in the woods during dinner time. I got hangry. Proposal didn't happen. Now I'm wondering if I was the AH or if he should've brought snacks.
    via u/Direct_Video_7828
  • 17
    Cheezburger Image 10519321856
    via Bmywuk

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • At least now he knows that he has to make sure that his girl is fed before making her hike to get to the perfect spot.

  • 18
    LavenderSharpie A series of unfortunate events. He didn't think about time of day and food and hanger. You couldn't read his mind to be able to predict what plans he had. Your collection of friends are not helping by taking sides, btw.
    via u/LavenderSharpie
  • 19
    felpross Yesss exactly this lol like how was she supposed to know?? he really thought vibes > dinner.
    via u/felpross
  • 20
    marialala1974 Especially the "dress nice," dinner time, maybe picnic in a park? Not a hike with no food.
    via u/marialala1974
  • 21
    Irn_brunette Also dressing "nice" for a hike? What if OP had worn a dress and heels, would he still have expected her to walk the nature trail?
    via u/Irn_brunette
  • 22
    IntermediateFolder He did say "dress nice but comfortably".
    via u/IntermediateFolder
  • 23
    franciosmardi I have comfortable heels. I can walk around town in them with no problem. Not great for hiking though.
    via u/franciosmardi
  • 24
    "Nice, but comfortable" is not how I would describe what I would wear on a hike. It's what I would wear for a walk around town.
    via u/franciosmardi

  • This isn't really her fault. She didn't know what he was planning on doing!

  • 25
    Independent_Sign9083 I once had an ex tell me that I ruined his proposal plan (we were traveling by train, he was apparently planning to do it at the station, I thought we needed to catch the train). He ended up later telling me, after he did propose, that he felt like I made him and he never wanted to.
    via u/Independent_Sign9083
  • 26
    The next time I was proposed to, by a different man, I made us late because I declined to go in the store we were supposed to and said I wanted to go in a different store instead. He humored me, I was late to my own proposal, we laughed about it. He never accused me of ruining anything or messing with his plans.
    via u/Independent_Sign9083
  • 27
    You can never ruin a surprise by accident. Because you can't ruin a surprise. What I mean by that is if you are genuinely in the dark about something and don't accommodate their surprise plans, it's okay. You can ruin the surprise element, but the moment is still there and the event or plan can still happen.
    via u/Independent_Sign9083
  • 28
    You didn't know he was planning something and then messed it up on purpose. You were hungry and wanted food. Honestly, your boyfriend should know by now that you get hangry if you aren't fed. And his plan wasn't brief. A 45 minute drive followed by a hike, at dinner time.
    via u/Independent_Sign9083
  • 29
    SeaShanties Thank you for saying this. I generally do not like surprises of any kind because I am very anxious. I want to know what I'm doing and who will be there so I can be prepared and/or comfortable. A few times in my life a family member has gotten mad
    via u/SeaShanties
  • 30
    at me for "ruining" a surprise because I didn't go along with whatever they were trying to get me to unknowingly do. I feel like if someone knows you don't do surprises and they plan one anyway, it's more about what they want and not really for you.
    via u/SeaShanties
  • 31
    ArcticPangolin3 Yeah, surprise has to be like improv - the person surprising the other needs to roll with the punches and accept it may go in an unplanned direction. Or in this case, plan better by bringing snacks.
    via u/ArcticPangolin3
  • 32
    Sea_One_5969 So you were expected to know what the plan was when it was a surprise? It's not possible for you to ruin a plan you don't actually know about. Yeah you may suspect, but you didn't actually know.
    via u/Sea_One_5969
  • 33
    Why would he ruin it by telling you later? Why didn't he just pop the question another way? He's actually the one who ruined the surprise by telling you about it. That doesn't seem fair.
    via u/Sea_One_5969

Tags

boyfriend relationship advice hungry Hiking marriage proposal relationships girlfriend engaged couples love engagement hangry red flag healthy relationship
Scroll Down For The Next Article