There's a new trend in engagements and I think it's ridiculous . Men and women are now paying "proposal planners" to organize a beautiful proposal for them. Companies like the Proposal Planners offer a variety of services to help you plan a romantic proposal. For just a couple hundred dollars you can have an online consultation with a planner to come up with ideas for the big moment. You can also have the planner be your diamond consultant and find you the perfect ring. And for a couple thousand dollars your planner can actually arrange the proposal of your fiancée's dreams —even an elaborate multi-day affair in multiple locations. Reading about proposal planners makes me question what is happening to the world. Why do we need someone else to plan proposals for us? Are we too busy to do it ourselves? Do we lack the creativity to come up with an original proposal? Do we not know our significant other enough to plan something they would love? Or have we put so much pressure on having the perfect proposal that no person can do it without professional help. Whatever the reason, I think the idea of proposal planners are ridiculous. To me a proposal should be this perfect moment and I know that's a lot of pressure to want something to be perfect. But the reason a proposal is so perfect and special is because it comes from the person you love. It warms my heart to think of my boyfriend coming up with a proposal he thinks I will adore. It's not about how he proposes, it's about the proposal coming from him. Sadly, that perfect proposal loses it's romance factor when the person who planned this moment is someone you've never met and who was paid to do it. Really it seems quite dumb to be that my boyfriend would resort to hiring someone to plan his proposal when he could just ask my friends. They actually know me and my taste. And let's be real, on girls' nights we do discuss what kind of ring we want and what kind of proposals make us swoon. So I really don't understand why proposal planners exist when you have friends. More than anything, I think what bugs me about the idea of proposal planners is that they're a waste of money. Engagement rings and the actual wedding are already so expensive so it seems ludicrous to me to spend even more money on the proposal itself. I'm not sure anyone really needs a multi-day proposal when some roses and a heartfelt speech are all you really need. Would you pay for someone to plan your proposal? And how would you react if you found out your fiancée paid someone to plan your proposal?  Photo courtesy of Shayaharony/Wikimedia Commons