As someone who recently proposed, I ruled out the public option pretty early on in the thought process; even if it’s not cringe, it adds undue pressure on the proposee, and it’s almost always cringe regardless if you make a spectacle of the whole thing. I think doing it in front of people you know, friends and family, that’s a really nice choice, but why include random strangers who are just trying to enjoy their own time at the restaurant/park/dental office??