Engagement Ideas and Tips for 2025: The Ultimate Guide to a Memorable Proposal
Planning a Wedding in Budapest? Don’t Miss This Eccentric & Stylish Engagement Shoot
We are so excited to have Lili and Gergő’s fun and funky engagement gracing your screens today! The pair met as children whilst attending kindergarten on Kossuth South Square, but unfortunately lost touch after starting school. Fast forward a few years and the couple reunited as teenagers and have been inseparable ever since.
Now this is a couple that love to experiment with their appearances, they both had their hair dyed in rainbow colours and enlisted in the help of national designer, Makany Marta to style their shoot. As both are huge fans of fashion especially jeans, she was the obvious choice for unique, yet romantic style clothes.
Model & stylist Lili knows how to accessorize! She wore Makány Márta’s hand-painted jeans and grandiose wedding dresses and included her love of conspicuous and unique jewellery by adding statement necklaces and earrings with a vintage mood.
Gergő is infatuated with funny dress shirts and loves skating, so he chose a white dress shirt with little skating figures on it. This unique young couple created quite a sensation in the heart of Budapest, running around and embracing like two colourful unicorns in the early spring sunshine in the very place where it had all begun.
Super Suppliers – Dress: Makány Márta// Groom’s denim Jacket: Makány Márta// Make-up: Bíborka Gubán// Photographer: Bell Studio/// Venue: Kossuth Lajos tér, Budapest//
Tips and Ideas for Planning Your Engagement and Wedding in Budapest
By a Bespoke Bride Blogger (still hopelessly in love with paprika and cobblestone streets after 13 years of writing about weddings)
When my friend said she was getting engaged in Budapest, I nearly dropped my laptop. Not out of shock, but because my fingers were already itching to book a flight. Budapest has that magnetic pull—part history book, part fairy tale, with just enough ruin bars and thermal spas to keep things spicy. And if you’re considering it for your engagement or your wedding in Budapest, let me tell you: this city is not just a backdrop, it’s a full-on character in your love story.
Engagement Shoots with a Pulse
There’s something wildly romantic about Budapest’s vibe. It’s moody in the morning, glamorous by golden hour, and glittering at night. We shot an engagement session by the Fisherman’s Bastion once, just as the fog was lifting—it looked like a movie scene where a princess meets her rogue-ish love interest on a mission to overthrow the monarchy. Yes, that level of drama.
But here’s the trick: timing. The Fisherman’s Bastion gets swamped with tourists faster than you can say “goulash.” Sunrise is your golden ticket. Bring coffee. Wear thermals. Embrace the goosebumps. It’s worth it.
📸 Pro tip: Hire a local photographer who knows the city’s secret corners. I recommend The Light Painters Photography — their portfolio looks like stills from an indie film:
Planning a Budapest Wedding: What You Need to Know
I’ll never forget the first time I walked into the Vajdahunyad Castle courtyard. It was pouring rain. My boots were soaked. But even then, it felt like magic. Gothic towers. Ivy-covered walls. A ceremony here feels less like a wedding and more like a plot twist in a period drama.
If you’re leaning more modern, The Brody House is a stylish dream—high ceilings, mismatched vintage furniture, and abstract murals. You feel like you’re getting married in an artist’s Parisian apartment, without the Parisian price tag.
That said, let’s address the (slightly frustrating) elephant in the room: bureaucracy. If you’re not Hungarian, legally marrying here involves a good bit of paperwork, some of it in Hungarian. Most couples opt to do the legal stuff at home and host a symbolic wedding in Budapest instead. It’s less stress, more celebration, and you get to customize your ceremony with zero constraints. Just how we like it.
✔️ Official info on marriage requirements in Hungary: https://www.gov.uk/marriage-abroad/y/hungary
Where to Celebrate in Style
For your engagement party or rehearsal dinner, Budapest has range. Mazeltov in the Jewish Quarter is an industrial-chic wonderland of string lights and lush plants, perfect for a relaxed soirée. If you’re craving glamour, the New York Café is dripping in chandeliers and gold—utterly over-the-top and unapologetically fabulous.
Warning: Budapest doesn’t do “casual” very well at upscale places. I once saw a guest gently escorted out for wearing flip-flops. Dress the part or risk a fashion citation.
Want a more spontaneous twist? Book a private boat cruise on the Danube at night. It’s cheesy, romantic, and you’ll feel like James Bond if he was in love and planning a destination wedding. Bonus: the Parliament Building looks absolutely unreal from the water.
What I Learned from Planning a Wedding in Budapest
There’s a quiet poetry in the way this city moves. The Danube doesn’t rush. The architecture doesn’t beg for attention—it simply stands, regal and unfazed. And honestly, that’s what I’ve come to admire most about weddings here. There’s space. Space to breathe, to slow down, to be present.
Every time I attend a wedding in Budapest, I leave with a full heart, sore feet (those cobblestones don’t play), and a newfound respect for love that doesn’t need to shout to be seen.
And the food? Hungarian cuisine may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think “wedding menu,” but after your third bite of paprika-spiced perfection, you’ll start rethinking everything. Just… maybe offer a lighter salad option for guests who don’t want to be horizontal by dessert.
🍴 Check out Chefparade Hungary for unforgettable wedding catering:
Final Thought Before You Book That Ticket
Here’s the thing: Budapest isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s bold. It’s mysterious. It’s full of history and oddities and surprises around every corner. But if that sounds like your kind of romance, you’ll feel right at home here.
Plan your engagement here. Host your symbolic wedding in Budapest. Take a dip in the Széchenyi Baths the next morning with a mimosa in hand and your new spouse floating beside you. Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned after thirteen years of wedding writing, it’s this: the best weddings are the ones that feel like you.
And Budapest? She knows how to set the scene.
Want help planning your wedding in Budapest? DM us on Instagram @bespokebride or shoot us a message—we’ve got the lowdown, the contacts, and probably a paprika recipe or two.
