RIP restaurant dates, falling in love is getting extra

Once upon a time, a romantic date meant a candlelit dinner at a fancy restaurant, and a proposal involved one shaky knee and a velvet ring box. Cute? Sure. Groundbreaking? Not so much. It seems millennials and Gen Z have decided that romance deserves a serious upgrade—one that includes grand gestures, some pop culture references, and a whole lot of personalisation. Think Travis Barker and Kourtney Kardashian’s rose-covered beachside engagement, but make it even more bespoke.

That’s perhaps why cookie-cutter dinner dates are now being ditched for romantic experiences that feel tailor-made and little extra. From a How I Met Your Mother-inspired rooftop picnic date to a proposal that involves solving math equations (Bayes’ theorem-style, no less)—modern love stories are playing out like big-budget productions.

Maitri Shah of the Mumbai-based events design company Mai Stories says her clients are all looking for something extra special. “At the end of the day, it’s the little things that count,” she says. “People today want to tell a story. They want to create something that reflects their unique relationship. It’s no longer about just an extravagant setting, it’s about depth and thoughtfulness.”

Shah’s flagship offering, Table for Two, transforms Mumbai’s venues into dreamy, bespoke settings. Whether it’s a private picnic in a heritage bungalow, a candlelit dinner overlooking the Arabian Sea, or a rooftop stargazing experience with a curated spread, every date she designs is built around the couple’s preferences. She came up with this concept in 2020 after noticing a glaring gap in the luxury dating market in India, and has witnessed a steady growth in her clients over the past few years.

One of Shah’s client’s, stuck in the city during COVID, recreated his fiancée’s travel bucket list in a single date night—complete with a personal boutique that could rival Carrie Bradshaw’s closet, a Swiss chalet experience, a Christmas in New York setup (cue “All I Want for Christmas Is You” on repeat), a graffiti-filled Brooklyn corner where she could DIY her own edible graffiti, and finally, Paris, where he proposed. It was basically Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, but on a tighter budget and without the whole “facing your fears” thing.

Dinner and a movie? Please, that’s just the warm-up. Couples today are looking for experiences that go beyond the predictable. Some want salsa classes that end in laughter (and possibly minor toe injuries), while others want immersive, themed evenings. A particularly adorable example? A Harry Potter-themed date night where the ceiling was filled with floating Hogwarts letters, each containing handwritten notes. The couple then watched the film series together, snacked on chocolate frogs, and probably argued over which house they truly belonged to.

As Falon Kathryn Saldanha from The Wishing Company explains it, “People are bored of going to the same 20 restaurants. They want something that actually feels special.” In turn, date nights have evolved into private rooftop screenings, complete with custom menus inspired by a film they love. (La La Land date with French food, fairy lights, and a jazz band, anyone?) But for many, date nights are just the beginning. The desire for customised experiences naturally extends into proposals, where couples want to go beyond the traditional.

The most interesting request Saldanha has received so far was from a couple who first met in a statistics class, and one of them wanted to plan a Bayes’ theorem-themed proposal. “We replaced the regular memory lane with math equations and variables. It looked very academic,” Saldanha recalls. “It ended with the ultimate question—would she beat the odds and say yes to the proposal?” Spoiler: 100%.

Even Harsh Pandorwala, travel vlogger and the very first client of The Wishing Company, knew he wanted something special when proposing to his now-wife, Prachi. “I wanted to create a whole experience, not just a proposal. I planned every little detail with Falon, from the music playing in the background (cue “Can't Help Falling in Love”), to the candles lining the stairs, to the perfect spot overlooking the beach—something that meant a lot to us,” he shares. His proposal was intimate yet grand, proving that even in Mumbai, a quiet, picturesque moment can be found with the right planning.

Another one of Saldanha’s clients, who wishes to remain anonymous, took a slightly different approach. His proposal in Alibaug, which was where he first met his fiancée, was all about aesthetics rather than storytelling. “We wanted something that felt cosy and warm but also elegant,” he says. “We created a living room-style setting by the pool, with soft lighting, candles, flowers and sofas. It felt like an extension of our home as many of the props were borrowed from our home to make it feel cosy.” The client’s story proves that personalisation isn’t always about over-the-top gestures—it’s about creating the right atmosphere that reflects a couple’s vibe.

Some people might scoff at the idea of outsourcing something as personal as a proposal or a date night. But let’s be honest—just because you love someone doesn’t mean you’re great at planning an unforgettable experience. That’s where professionals like Shah and Saldanha come in.

Saldanha got into this business during the lockdown after helping her brother’s friend set up his proposal. “He had no clue where to start,” she recalls. “I just started suggesting ideas, adding little details that would make it special. The next thing I knew, people were asking me to do the same for them.” Since then, she’s helped plan everything from intimate rooftop proposals to elaborate treasure hunts that take couples through different phases of their relationship. “Men are usually well-intentioned but clueless,” she jokes. “They know they want to do something special, but they don’t always know how to make it happen.”

Outsourcing these big moments doesn’t necessarily mean they’re any less personal. In fact, planners help refine and execute ideas that might otherwise be impossible. “We ask the right questions, we get into the details of their relationship, and we make sure that every moment is meaningful,” Saldanha explains. “A beautifully planned date or proposal isn’t about the budget—it’s about the emotion behind it.”

And while the planners reveal that an over-the-top date could cost anywhere above ₹20,000, they remain a little uptight about grander proposals where really sky is the limit. What companies like The Wishing Company and Mai Stories prove today is that romance isn’t dead—it’s just got better production value. So whether it’s a One Tree Hill-inspired proposal (Nathan and Haley stans, we see you) or a dream date that transports someone from Mumbai to Paris in one night, one thing is clear—love in the age of millennials and Gen Z is extra. And honestly? We’re here for it.