More men looking to propose to their partner are reportedly willing to spend thousands of dollars to make it perfect, sending demand for wedding planners in the UK skyrocketing.
“There’s a romantic gesture aspect, but there’s also a trend aspect like ‘So-and-so had a big proposal, I want a big proposal too,'” says Shivani Kattri, founder of The Proposal Planners, whose four employees would organize more than 50 marriage proposals a month, as reported by The Telegraph on Friday.
According to reports, the customer base of some marriage proposal planning agencies has quadrupled since 2019, while brides and grooms-to-be are now spending an average of between £2,000 and £2,500, which is equivalent to around $3,400 to $4,200, to kneel before their partner in a glamorous manner Backdrop.
The phenomenon could be explained in particular by the increasing popularity of smaller weddings since the pandemic, which had led to a reduction in the number of guests and left the bride and groom with more money in their pockets to spend when necessary.
“During the lockdown, there has been a drastic increase in demand from people wanting to spend money on themselves and their partners,” said Shivani Kattri.
The same goes for The One-Romance agency, which was founded a decade ago by Amanda Brown and her sister Tiffany and has seen a surge in inquiries since 2019.
“We could organize incredible experiences if we follow the rules [du confinement] of up to six people. Now it just blew up and we have a waiting list,” she reportedly told British media.
Another company reportedly told The Telegraph that it had to turn away customers due to current high demand.
In 2022, the average price of a wedding in the UK was £18,400 – almost $31,500, according to data from the English media company.