VD Rant

No surprise here that a cynic like me can't stand Valentine's Day. I hate the commercials that make men think that they have to buy $149 diamond-encrusted pendants or they aren't worth anything. I hate that women are impressed when their men buy them things on February 14th out of a sense of obligation. I hate women.

And S like this really pisses me off:

Proposal Planners Come of Age

The idea of getting down on one knee has always given men sweaty palms. But in an age when you can hire someone to pick up your dry cleaning, or walk your dog, why not pay someone to put the pro in proposal?

"One of the big emerging trends in proposals these days is hiring a proposal planner," says Anja Winikka, associate editor of the WeddingChannel.com. "The kind of guys that want to hire a planner are the kinds of guys that want to make that perfectly special moment absolutely smooth."

Wedding planners have added a new service to their roster for men who have elaborate ideas for how they want to propose. The planners work out the details and logistics, even coaching the men on what to wear and say.

"They are so insecure," says wedding planner Jennifer Zabinski, owner of theweddinglibrary.com. "And they want it to be so amazing and so different. And I think those things are hard to do."

Planners can make it elaborate. Recent tales include designing a fake Broadway show, writing the proposal into the play, or hiding the ring in a shell on the ocean floor for a couple scuba diving. Hotels are also capitalizing on the trend. Planners set up special proposal suites for the couple to spend the night in, not unlike a honeymoon. At Manhattan's Mandarin Oriental, they supply it with chilled champagne and strawberries, spread out the rose petals, and even put a photo of the happy couple up on the TV.

The over-the-top proposal seems hardly a surprise in a culture in which we express ourselves through consumer choices. Proposal planners are just the latest piece of the $160 billion wedding industry.

I guess I could open a Proposal Planning business. My services would be really cheap. All the guys would propose in basement apartments over a dinner of Hamburger Helper and green beans!! :-)

Enjoy your Hallmark holiday, if you celebrate it!