--- title: 10 Over-the-Top Ways to Propose—and What they Cost description: Want to pop the question via Jumbotron? Hire a flash mob? Put on a real fireworks display? Get ready to open your wallet authors: - name: Jackie Zimmermann url: https://money.com/author/jackie-zimmermann/ at_money_since: 2014 articles: 22 covers: - Lifestyle - Career Advice - Economy and Politics - Education - Housing - Insurance - Investing - Personal Finance - Shopping - Taxes - Technology social: - https://x.com/jackie_zm former_staff: true published: '2015-02-12T17:43:09.000Z' modified: '2024-05-07T09:06:55.000Z' section: Lifestyle tags: - Budgeting - couples - couples and money - engagements - Family - Love and Money - proposals - Romantic - Valentine's Day - Weddings - Will You Marry Me? word_count: 517 canonical: https://money.com/valentines-creative-ways-propose-marriage/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Creative ways to propose](https://img.money.com/2015/02/150211_ff_weddingproposal.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C3000px%2C1688px&quality=85) *Tom Schwab, 37, proposes to his girlfriend of 18 months, Mary Nubla, 35, in Times Square on February 14, 2014 in New York City. (She said yes.)* In a building with sweeping views of New York's Hudson River, pictures of a couple hang from "cherry blossom trees" that were handmade for the occasion from branches and petals. A harpist strums softly in the background as a woman makes her way down an aisle of rose petals towards a table with an elaborate ice sculpture. Petals spell her name on the floor. Her family and friends are there too, waiting on another floor to celebrate with a catered dinner followed by a night of dancing. This isn't a wedding; it is a real-life marriage *proposal* event. And it cost $43,000. These days, the traditional "will you marry me?" move—that is, a groom-to-be down on one knee in a restaurant or other romantic location—simply doesn't cut it for many couples. "Everyone is trying to make their proposal unique," says Michele Velazquez, co-founder of [The Heart Bandits](http://www.theheartbandits.com/), a proposal and romantic event planning service that arranged the event in New York. "You don't want to have your girlfriend Google a proposal and see that it's been done a bunch of times." While $43,000 is an extreme example (the average wedding costs [$30,000](http://blog.theknot.com/2014/03/27/average-wedding-cost-2014/)), Velazquez says the typical proposal planned by her firm ranges from $3,000 and $5,000. That's still a hefty sum, especially when you consider that the proposer also has to buy a ring—$5,600 on average, according to a 2013 survey of grooms by The Knot. Despite those costs, The Heart Bandits have never suffered from a lack of demand. Velazquez says her business has grown 100% every year since it launched in 2010. Looking for a really phenomenal way to pop the question? Below you'll find costs for other over-the-top-proposals. But keep in mind the top tip that Velazquez offers her clients: "It's not about the money you spend, it's about the personalization." In other words, look for a way that reflects something about your relationship or your future spouse's interests. ### **What it Costs to Propose With...** **A hot-air balloon**: About [$200](http://www.high5ballooning.com/gift.htm) to [$400](https://www.apexballoons.com/phoenix-private-balloon-flight/) per person for a 60-minute private ride **The jumbotron at an MLB game**: $50 to $2,500, based on data compiled by Swimmingly.com **A skywriter**: [$1,500 to $2,000](http://www.flysigns.com/skywriting.php), according to nationwide aerial advertising firm FlySigns **An airplane banner:** [Starting around $500](http://www.flysigns.com/personal-messages.php), according to nationwide aerial advertising firm FlySigns **Musicians**:$150 to $300 per hour for a soloist hired via a website like [gigmasters.com](https://www.gigmasters.com/services/violin) **A glass slipper at Walt Disney World**: $375 on top of the cost of admission. Other Disney proposal events and locations range from $15 ("Will You Marry Me?" chocolate slipper dessert) to $500+ (Fireworks boat cruise on private yacht) **Fireworks**: $2,500 to $6,000, according to [pyrotech.com](http://www.pyrotech.com/reservedoc.htm) **A flash mob**: upwards of $2,000, as reported by [The New York Times](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/29/fashion/weddings/using-flash-mobs-for-wedding-proposals.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0) **A [mock movie trailer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnVAE91E7kM)**: can be around $5,000, according to [Drywater Productions](http://drywaterproductions.com/) in Janesville, Wisc., but the price varies based on video specifics **A [professional photographer or videographer](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2014/12/23/will-you-marry-me-and-smile-for-the-camera-grooms-to-be-are-hiring-professionals-to-photograph-their-proposals/)**: [$25](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/30/nyregion/like-a-spy-he-photographs-marriage-proposals-in-new-york-city.html) to [more than $1,000](http://www.iqphoto.com/proposal/index.htm) **More from Money.com:** [The Rising Toll of Inequality on Social Security](https://money.com/inequality-social-security/ "The Rising Toll of Inequality on Social Security") [The Career Mistake You Don't Realize You're Making](https://money.com/career-mistake-talking-too-much/ "The Career Mistake You Don’t Realize You’re Making") 25 Ways to Get Smarter About Money Right Now ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/valentines-creative-ways-propose-marriage/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Lifestyle", "item": "https://money.com/lifestyle/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Dating", "item": "https://money.com/dating/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "10 Over-the-Top Ways to Propose—and What they Cost" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://money.com/#website", "url": "https://money.com", "name": "Money", "publisher": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://money.com/valentines-creative-ways-propose-marriage/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/valentines-creative-ways-propose-marriage/", "name": "10 Over-the-Top Ways to Propose—and What they Cost", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://money.com/#website" }, "datePublished": "2015-02-12T17:43:09.000Z", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://money.com/valentines-creative-ways-propose-marriage/" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://money.com/valentines-creative-ways-propose-marriage/#breadcrumb" }, "dateModified": "2024-05-07T09:06:55.000Z" }, { "@type": "Article", "headline": "10 Over-the-Top Ways to Propose—and What they Cost", "articleSection": "Lifestyle", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2015/02/150211_ff_weddingproposal.jpg?crop=0px%2C0px%2C3000px%2C1688px&quality=85", "width": 1012, "height": 569, "caption": "150211_FF_WeddingProposal" } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jackie Zimmermann", "url": "https://money.com/author/jackie-zimmermann/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/jackie-zimmermann/#author", "sameAs": [ "https://x.com/jackie_zm" ] } ], "publisher": "https://money.com/#organization", "datePublished": "2015-02-12T17:43:09.000Z", "description": "Want to pop the question via Jumbotron? 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