- Title: REFILE: Paris says 'oui' to marriage proposal business with Valentine's boom
- Date: 13th February 2026
- Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (FEBRUARY 10, 2026) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) TOURIST FROM TEXAS WHO HIRED PROPOSAL AGENCY, JOSUE PERALES, AND GIRLFRIEND, KAYLA BALBOA, SAYING: PERALES: "Today's actually our anniversary, one-year anniversary. And then she's always been mentioning how..." BALBOA: "This is my dream place." PERALES: "This is her dream. And I would always say, 'No, no,' I
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- Keywords: Eiffel Tower Sacre-Coeur basilica Valentine's Day business event planning love marriage tourism wedding
- Location: PARIS AND CONDECOURT, FRANCE / INTERNET
- City: PARIS AND CONDECOURT, FRANCE / INTERNET
- Country: France
- Topics: Europe,Living/Lifestyle,Society/Social Issues,Editors' Choice
- Reuters ID: LVA003491512022026RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: When Josue Perales, a Texan living near the U.S.-Mexico border, brought his girlfriend Kayla Balboa to Paris this week, she thought it was just a romantic getaway.
Instead, he had hired a local marriage proposal planning agency to set up a dreamy scene on a terrace overlooking the Eiffel Tower, complete with white roses and candles.
The result? A tearful "yes" for the couple's one-year anniversary.
"She's always been mentioning how this is her dream. I would always say, 'No, no,'" Perales told Reuters moments later. "She wasn't expecting it at all."
Paris, often dubbed the "City of Love," is seeing a surge in demand for elaborate marriage proposals like this one ahead of Valentine's Day, boosting an entire industry catering to love-struck couples willing to pay thousands for unforgettable moments.
Josue's surprise was made simpler with help from Les Entremetteuses ("The Matchmakers"), a Paris-based agency coordinating hundreds of proposals annually.
Founder Pauline Le Tendre said Valentine's Day is her "busiest day of the year," adding that she already has eight engagements planned for Saturday (February 14).
"We have a bit of a lull between January and March, but thanks to Valentine's Day, we also manage to do well in February."
Proposal packages at Les Entremetteuses (The matchmakers), start at 590 euros ($699) for a proposal on the Seine river banks with 'Marry Me' letters, rose petals and candles.
They range on average between 1,500 and 2,000 euros ($1,779 and $2,372), though Le Tendre says some clients are willing to spend more for additional services such as performers, champagne bottles and other perks.
Another Paris-based agency, Kiss Me in Paris, has carved out a niche in the luxury market. The company mostly organises highly choreographed proposals in high-end hotels, aboard yachts on the Seine River, during full-day experiences across Paris, and even in authentic French chateaux.
The agency's clients typically spend an average of 10,000 euros ($11,861) on their experiences, with some willing to invest as much as 100,000 euros ($118,614) for a single proposal.
"To just be able to, in your social circles, say, 'We got engaged in Paris,' is great," said Cengiz Ozelsel, co-founder and president of Kiss Me in Paris. "It has prestige, it has cachet."
Ozelsel and his wife, Chantelle Marie Streete, run the agency together and have seen growing demand in recent years, driven by Paris' romantic reputation and the allure of "Instagrammable" moments.
The duo's bookings have more than doubled since 2015, while Oui Love Paris, an agency specialising in more budget-friendly proposals, told Reuters that its bookings have quadrupled since 2020.
Social media, alongside popular shows like "Emily in Paris" and events such as the Paris 2024 Olympics, have boosted the city's global visibility as a proposal hotspot.
A 2023 study by France's National Centre of Cinema and Animated Pictures and pollster IFOP revealed that one in 10 tourists decided to visit France after seeing it featured in a film or series, with "Emily in Paris" influencing 38% of respondents who named the Netflix hit as their reason for travelling to the country.
Parisian proposal planners say business is especially strong with foreign customers, primarily from English-speaking countries.
For Perales, having local experts handle the logistics gave him peace of mind.
"It was so much easier," he said.
And for many planners, the payoff is more than just numbers.
"People are inviting you into their lives at one of the most special times," Streete said. "It's really, really, really important that they walk away feeling like, 'Oh my gosh, that was wonderful, that was amazing.'"
(Production: Manuel Ausloos) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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