Society Wedding proposals big biz in Japan

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It seemed like an ordinary date; Dinner at a plush restaurant followed by a romantic stroll around the restaurant grounds. But suddenly, a smiling staff member appeared out of nowhere, guiding the couple through a fairytale-like gate to the steps of an English-style chapel. As his date stood awkwardly the man went into action, dropping to one knee and brandishing a tiny engagement ring box. The startled young woman scarcely had time to mumble her assent before his parents stepped into view to offer their congratulations, and then, from a jumbo-sized monitor, her family joined in on the fun via video link, shouting greetings from their home in Taiwan.

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More than 2,000 proposals later, Nishimura said not a single suitor has been turned down. "If the client is putting down cash for a proposal, the couple is more or less already on the same page about settling down," she reckons. Most clients are willing to shell out for extras, like renting formal wear or having the soon-to-be fiancée transported via stretch limo, bringing the average price in 2022 to almost $1,000. That fee doesn't include the purchase of an engagement ring, nor the contemporary custom of presenting fiancées with an enormous bouquet of 108 roses, a number that in Japanese also means "forever." In this case, floral eternity weighs more than ten pounds, and costs close to $400.

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