Hot Air Ballooning (And Surprise Proposal!) in Mexico City

The Background

I knew I wanted to go in a hot air balloon, but I didn’t think it would be this soon. Like, I thought it would be something in a few decades. Instead, it happened spur-of-the-moment during our trip in Mexico with my husband and two friends- Steve and Hannah. My friend, Steve, was desperately trying to propose to his now-fiancé Hannah. After several ideas went down the drain in real time (some locations didn’t have the right vibe, some were too packed with people, etc.), he quickly developed a proposal plan. It was a done deal.

The Start of a Magical Day

The morning of the proposal, the company picked us up in a shuttle bus around 6am at our Mexico City AirBnB. About an hour and a half later, we arrived at the destination. The four of us, Steve, Hannah, my husband and I got our tickets. This is the part where Hannah looks up at us and asks, “Guys, aren’t we in the wrong line? Wait a second…are we going in a HOT AIR BALLOON?!” After that, she laughed and then bolted to the bathroom to gain composure.

Next, we quickly got her back in a better brain space because it was time for some quick breakfast before heading out. The company provided coffee, tea and some small bakery items. Full of carbs and ready to go, we proceeded to the line-up of balloons. Our pilot and balloon were assigned to us. It was magical to watch all of the hot air balloons get into position. And the fire against the morning sky was breathtaking. 

From there, we hopped into the balloon and soon realized it was pretty cramped for four people and a pilot. As it rose, I was geeking out, but it was so calming and peaceful that my mind was immediately taken aback by the scenery. I was quite nervous about going up in the balloon as I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was completely wrong. Ultimately, the balloon can go high, but it’s such a slow process that sometimes the group barely even noticed the height or movement. Because the balloon was so still and peaceful, it made for a special proposal. The group really got to take it in. 

The Proposal

In the middle of the ride, above the Teotihuacan Pyramids, Steve bent his knee and asked Hannah to go on adventures for the rest of their lives together. She said YES! I jabbed my husband via elbow to get the content in the middle of it because we were both taken over by the intimate moment. Boy, did we get some amazing photos. Take a look:

After about 45 minutes in the air, we landed safely on the ground. It’s crazy, because hot air balloons can’t exactly land right where you want them to. They land where they want. We ended up landing next to a random hotel. The company sent pick-up trucks to put the basket & balloon in. Oh, and most importantly, they brought champagne for us to celebrate with! We popped a bottle and celebrated the most incredible morning. Cheers to Steve and Hannah!

Still want more proposal goodness? Read about my proposal story!