Marriage Proposal Flowers in Istanbul: How to Have the Roses Waiting

You have the ring, the date and a table with a view of the Bosphorus. The one thing you cannot carry through the airport is a bouquet of a hundred roses. This guide is about that part: how to have the flowers waiting for you in Istanbul, so that they appear at the right moment and not a minute too late.

For delivery windows and districts, see our page on flower delivery in Istanbul.

Why the flowers should arrive before you do

We do not deliver at an exact minute, and for a proposal we would not recommend it even if we could. Istanbul traffic, a closed road or a slow bridge crossing can delay any courier. If your plan depends on flowers turning up at 20:15 in the middle of dinner, one traffic jam can spoil the moment you have been planning for months.

So turn it around: let the bouquet arrive early, well before the two of you do. Choose a delivery window that ends at least two or three hours before your reservation. On busy days the windows can shift a little, and that buffer absorbs it. If the proposal happens in your hotel room or on the hotel terrace, the bouquet can also arrive the day before.

Let the staff bring them in on your signal

When the flowers are already at the venue, someone who works there brings them to the table at the right moment. All it takes is a short conversation in advance:

• Tell the venue when you book. A bouquet will arrive in the afternoon under your name, please keep it somewhere cool and out of sight.
• Agree on a signal. A nod, a wink, you standing up, or simply "after dessert". The waiter, the concierge or the crew brings the bouquet as soon as you give it.
• Know who has it. Ask for the name of the person who will receive the delivery and write it in your order.

You walk in empty-handed, your partner suspects nothing, and the roses appear at the same moment as the ring.

Where we can deliver for a proposal

• Hotels: to reception or the concierge, who keep the bouquet until you collect it or, if you arrange it with them, take it up to your room. More in send flowers to a hotel in Istanbul.
• Restaurants and cafés: to the manager or the person you spoke to when you booked.
• Yachts and boat tours: to the crew at the pier, before departure. Give us the name of the boat, the marina or pier, and a crew contact.
• Homes and rented flats: if the proposal happens at home, a friend or your host can receive the flowers and hide them.

How to fill in the order so nothing gives you away

• Recipient: your own name and phone number, not your partner's. If the courier needs to call, they call you.
• Address: the full address of the hotel, restaurant or pier, with its name.
• Delivery instructions: the name of the venue, the name and time of your reservation, and the person who will receive the bouquet, for example "Terrace table, reservation under Smith at 20:00, please hand to Mehmet at the entrance".
• Date and window: the day of the proposal, in a window that ends a few hours before your table.
• Photo: message us on WhatsApp and we send you a photo of the bouquet before it leaves our workshop, so you know what will be waiting.

Orders placed before 18:00 Turkish time can still go out the same day, but for a proposal we recommend ordering a few days ahead and picking the date in the calendar.

How many roses for a proposal in Turkey

In Turkey, numbers carry meaning. 21 roses are a popular choice for a proposal, 41 roses are the traditional bouquet for kız isteme, the formal visit when the family asks for the bride's hand, and 101 roses are the grand gesture. More on this in what the number of roses means.

For the proposal itself, most people want a bouquet that makes an impression when it is carried to the table. Our largest bouquets are made for exactly that:

• 100 red roses: the classic, and the closest to 101.
• 150 red roses: for a moment even the next table will not forget.
• 150 white roses: white stands for a new beginning and looks striking in evening light and in photos.
• 100 white roses: the same idea, a little smaller.

A bouquet of 100 or 150 stems is large and heavy, one more reason to let the staff carry it in rather than hiding it under the table yourself. If you prefer something smaller, 21 red roses or 41 red roses with white daisies carry the Turkish meaning. All roses are in roses.

What to write on the card

We write the card by hand, exactly as you type it, in any language including Turkish. Keep in mind that the bouquet waits with the staff for a few hours, so the card may be read before your partner sees it. Many people keep it short and ask the question themselves. A few lines that work:

• Benimle evlenir misin? Will you marry me?
• Hayatımın geri kalanını seninle geçirmek istiyorum. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.
• İyi ki varsın. I am so glad you exist. A favourite between Turkish couples.

If the answer is yes and a Turkish family is involved, the next steps are often the kız isteme and the engagement, explained in our guide to Turkish engagement flowers.