Men paying thousands of pounds to hire ‘proposal planners’ to give their partners the perfect engagement

Some are even willing to spend £165,000 for private venues.

Demand for proposal planners has skyrocketed in recent years.

A planning agency suggested the turning point came in 2019, with elaborate engagements quadrupling in just four years.

Another revealed it had been forced to turn clients away due to soaring demand.

It has been claimed there has been a rise in lavish engagements as weddings have become smaller post-pandemic.

Smaller ceremonies are freeing up cash for couples to splurge on elaborate engagements.

Proposal planners help grooms-to-be choose venues, lighting, gifts and even flowers.

Some agencies even offer photographers and videographers for couples to post on social media.

Alisa Grabovaja, from planning agency The Proposers, revealed more women and same-sex couples are contacting her for help.

However, men remain the main group seeking out her services.

The Proposers, which is partnered with major attractions, including The Shard and the Sky Garden, offers a Harry Potter engagement for £5,000.

The Hogwarts-themed engagement comes with a treasure hunt and a personalized wand which has a ring attached.

One client spent £12,500 recreating McFly’s Love is Easy music video.

The engagement took place in a theatre with their friends and family in attendance.

Another client reportedly hired out Disneyland Paris and projected his and his partner’s face onto its famous castle at the cost of £165,000.

The Proposals Planners’ founder Shivani Kattri claimed her four-person team plan up to 50 proposals a month.

Clients have included Apprentice candidate Akshay Thakrar who proposed to 2022 winner Harpreet Kaur at a rooftop bar in central London.

Kattri told The Telegraph: “I’d say definitely in lockdown itself, the demand for people wanting to spend money on themselves and their partners increased massively.

“There’s an aspect of it being a romantic gesture, but there’s also an aspect of it being a trend, of, ‘Oh, so-and-so has had a big proposal, I also want to have a big proposal.’”

Wedding planning website Hitched revealed the average wedding in the United Kingdom cost £18,400 in 2022.

The figure is six per cent higher than the average cost of tying the knot in 2021.