Stop it. Weddings are officially out of control.

By GRACE JENNINGS-EDQUIST

If you weren’t already convinced that marriage proposals had become a competitive sport, then wrap your brain around this: a guy in New York recently spent $45,000 on a marriage proposal.

(I bolded that in case you thought I was talking about the cost of the wedding. Nope. I mean THE PROPOSAL.)

After just a few months of dating his lady-love, ad agency honcho Josh Ogle forked out the equivalent of a house deposit on extravagances including a “proposal honeymoon” around Europe, a celebrity chef appearance, a Pulitzer-winning photographer and a $21,000 ring the size of Tasmania.

Oh, and $3,500 for the services of Brilliant Event Planning, a professional proposal planning service that pulled the whole cray cray thing together.

Proposal planning businesses are an actual thing now and they’re coming to your frightened boyfriend’s hip pocket soon. Why? Because while a number of the bigger proposal businesses are based in the US and the UK (The Yes Girls, The Heart Bandits, The Proposers), businesses like Pop the Question have recently set up shop, right here in Australia.

The most popular ‘proposal trends’ peddled by these agencies? According to Michele Velazquez of the Heart Bandits:

Flash mobs are still really big, a lot of musicians are part of the proposal like a cappella groups or choirs, and of course photographers capturing the proposal paparazzi style!

If that all sounds a bit Glee for your taste then fear not: proposal services individually tailor the ‘big moment’ to your relationship, following an in-depth grilling of your guy on his talents, your hobbies and where you two met.

Prices for the most basic services start at $99, and some charge up to $12,000 in fees alone for orchestrating a more extravagant affair. Like, you know, a fake art exhibition featuring a live musician playing ‘your song’.

Or a Bollywood flash mob in a public square.

Or a high-school drama performance scripted to include the groom-to-be’s proposal in the final scene.

For real…

The fees also include a sneaky ‘extra’: confidentiality. According to The Proposers, ‘It’s our little secret….  Our lips are sealed. If you’d rather just bask in the glory of a genius proposal then that’s fine by us.’

(So if your organisationally-challenged guy busts out a mysteriously romantic proposal dance to a Bruno Mars tune? Be suspicious, be very suspicious.)

So what’s to blame for this OTT proposal frenzy? Apparently, it’s all about men getting a chance to let their mahoosive egos creativity run wild.

27-year-old Ogle, buyer of the $45k proposal extravaganza, says:

‘The guy doesn’t usually have tons of control over what happens at the wedding. I do have all the control over what happens at the proposal… this was my event this was my time to show who I was.’

Another theory: the proposal planners are just cashing in on ‘proposal anxiety’ spawned by super-sized engagements going viral on social media. This from The Proposal Planners website:

she will remember every second and will describe every detail to everyone she has ever met, over and over again. It will be perfect… or will it?

Right. No pressure, then?

And, lest a man mistakenly assume that his partner might agree to marry him in the absence of a personalised treasure hunt replete with a Hollywood film crew, The Proposers make themselves clear:

Your proposal has to be unique, thoughtful and above all, one of the most memorable days of her (and your) life… you’ve got nothing to lose (except your missus when she dumps you for an embarrassing proposal).

So. Your views on outsourcing marriage proposals, please. Is the whole idea totally over-the-top, or do you wish your partner had hired a professional?

You can watch the $45k proposal here: