I mean, yes, that is where the tradition comes from. I would be so insulted if my partner asked my parents if they wanted me to marry someone, before they even spoke to me about it. I'm sure you know your potential partner better than we do, but it's still worth considering that they might not be as into it as you assume.

If the parents say no, do you just silently drop the whole thing? Of course not. It's kind of performative, and the message it sends is quite out of date.