How much does a proposal cost in London?
A proposal in London costs from £499 all in — the decor, a photographer, and one of 7 public gardens that charge nothing for the space. Across the 94 London spots we price, the middle one starts at £1,049 all in, and the dearest we quote a settled price for reaches £5,999. All of them are below.
Everyone else in this market asks you to enquire first. You should not have to start a conversation to find out whether you can afford the thing.
The three things you are paying for
A proposal has three costs and only three.
- The decor The set-up itself — the thing they walk into. Three sizes, and you pick one.
- The photographer There before you arrive, gone before they notice. One flat fee, the same at every spot.
- The venue About four hours of somewhere. Nothing at all in a public garden, and up to thousands in a room with a name on the door. This is the part that swings, and it is what this page is really about.
Add the three together and that is the whole number. There is no fourth line and no booking fee at the end. £499 is the floor: the smallest decor, the photographer, and a garden that charges nothing for the space.
A proposal is four hours of the venue, not one
A proposal takes about four hours of the venue: an hour to an hour and a half to set it up, an hour for the moment itself, an hour to clear it away. So the venue figures you’ll see are worked out on a four-hour booking, not on the hour you’re in the room.
That is the single biggest reason these numbers look higher than a headline “from” price somewhere else. Most of those are one hour, and one hour is not a proposal.
What each budget actually buys
Every figure below is the total: decor, photographer and the venue together. Where a spot costs more at a weekend or in the evening, it is placed by the dearer end and shown as a range, so nothing here can move up a band once you name a date.
We check this price with the venue for your date before you pay anything.
£499 — a public garden, dressed
7 of the spots we work in charge nothing at all for the space.
- Alexandra Palace — The Rose GardenMuswell Hill / Wood GreenAll in £499
- Semi-private: other guests nearby
- April to September only
- Open parkland with no closing time. Nothing staked or tabled, and we keep it small.
- Nothing staked and nothing tabled. Alexandra Palace does not generally take small private bookings, so this is the garden as a public space rather than a hire. Subject to availability — Alexandra Palace runs its own events and can close the garden.
- Battersea Park — Old English GardenBatterseaAll in £499
- Semi-private: other guests nearby
- April to September only
- Public garden: nothing staked or tabled, and we keep it small
- Subject to availability — the council runs its own events here and can close the garden.
- Greenland PierSurrey Quays / RotherhitheAll in, around £499
- Semi-private: other guests nearby
- Based on the venue’s published rate — we confirm before you book
- Boats call through the day and into the evening, so this is built around the gap between two sailings. Nothing may block the gangway.
- Subject to availability — it is a working river-bus pier and the sailings come first.
- Manor House GardensLeeAll in, around £499
- Semi-private: other guests nearby
- April to September only
- Based on the venue’s published rate — we confirm before you book
- Council application for any set-up; insurance may be required
- Subject to availability — the council runs its own events here and can close the gardens.
- Southwark Park — By the LakeRotherhithe / BermondseyAll in £499
- Semi-private: other guests nearby
- April to September only
- Public park with no gate: nothing staked or tabled, and we keep it small
- Subject to availability — the council runs its own events here and can close the lakeside.
- Southwark Park — The BandstandRotherhithe / BermondseyAll in £499
- Semi-private: other guests nearby
- April to September only
- Public park with no gate: nothing staked or tabled, and we keep it small. The bandstand is covered, so rain is not a problem.
- Public ground — nothing staked, nothing tabled, and we keep it small. There is power at the bandstand: three outdoor-rated double sockets. Subject to availability — the council runs its own events here and can close the bandstand.
- Wandsworth Park — Thames riverside pathPutneyAll in £499
- Semi-private: other guests nearby
- April to September only
- Public park, uncovered; nothing staked or tabled, and we keep it small
- Subject to availability — the council runs its own events here and can close the path.
Two honest things about these. They are public places. Other people will be there, and nobody can promise you otherwise — we set up early and work quickly, which is a real skill and not a consolation. And 6 of the 7 are April-to-September spots; a park at half four in January is dark and wet. Greenland Pier is the year-round one.
Four questions — where you can picture asking, how private it needs to be, roughly when, and a comfortable total. We will send you three real spots with the full price of each. No date needed, nothing booked.
Find your spot →Every London proposal spot under £1,000, all in
32 of the 94 spots come in under £1,000 all in, counting the dearest day each one charges. 7 of those are the free gardens above. The rest we can name:
- Stone Studios — Studio 003Hackney WickAll in, around £609
- Based on the venue’s published rate — we confirm before you book
- Bookable 08:30–22:30 any day of the week. The rate we have quoted is the one that applies from 11.30 onwards.
- No outside catering and no drink brought in, and the studio serves none itself — so nothing to eat or drink on site.
- West Ham Park — The BandstandWest HamAll in £633
- Semi-private: other guests nearby
- April to September only
- Daytime only — the last session ends at 5.30pm, so there is no after-dark option. Summer only, and outside the park's own entertainment programme.
- You may decorate the bandstand, but nothing may be nailed or screwed into the wood. No balloons released, no amplified music, and no chalk on the floor.
- Golders Hill Park — The BandstandHampsteadAll in, around £685
- Semi-private: other guests nearby
- April to September only
- Based on the venue’s published rate — we confirm before you book
- Sold in fixed three-hour blocks only, so a proposal needs two of them. Booking is by email, not online, with three weeks’ notice. The park shuts at dusk.
- bbodance — Muir-Warden StudioWandsworth TownAll in £702
- Bookable until 22:00, seven days a week. Weekday evenings and the whole of the weekend are charged at the higher rate.
- GoBoatCanary WharfAll in £718
- Semi-private: other guests nearby
- Three hours is the longest boat you can book, and it is the only GoBoat that runs after dark. Drinks must come from GoBoat.
- The Victoria, Mile End — AboveVictoria ParkAll in, around £719
- Semi-private: other guests nearby
- Based on the venue’s published rate — we confirm before you book
- Exclusive hire runs Sunday to Thursday, day or evening, arranged by email. Friday and Saturday are the nights you cannot have the room to yourselves.
- Colour + Sense — Artist Palace Warehouse LoftHackney WickAll in £750
- Daily 08:00–22:00; no alcohol on site
- Spitalfields City Farm — The Kitchen GardenSpitalfieldsAll in £763
- Semi-private: other guests nearby
- April to September only
- Weekends 10am–4pm as standard; weekdays and after 4pm by arrangement only.
- Candles have to be agreed with the farm beforehand — their own rules say nothing may be lit unless a member of staff is there watching it.
- Bartha Contemporary — GalleryNotting HillAll in £934
- Bookable any day, any hour; no tables on site
- Makiko Harris Studio — Whole SpaceKensal TownAll in £939
- Daily 08:00–22:00
- St Ethelburga's Centre — The Bedouin Tent & GardenBishopsgateAll in, from £895 to £939
- No naked flame inside the tent or the inner courtyard, so we dress those with LED candles; real ones are allowed in the outer courtyard in a container taller than the flame. No helium balloons.
Another 14 in this band are flats and lofts hired whole. We do not list those by name on this page. The finder below will show you the ones that fit you, with the full figure for each.
£1,000 to £1,499 — 35 spots
The ones we can name:
- Queen's Park — The BandstandKensal GreenAll in, around £1,015
- Semi-private: other guests nearby
- April to September only
- Based on the venue’s published rate — we confirm before you book
- Sold in three-hour blocks of exclusive hire, so a proposal needs two of them. Tables and chairs are included.
- Roseate House London — The Hyde GardenLancaster GateAll in £1,049
- Semi-private: other guests nearby
- April to September only
- Closes 21:00; uncovered courtyard; in-house food only
- The Ampersand Hotel — The Library RoomSouth KensingtonAll in £1,104
- Semi-private: other guests nearby
- Two sessions a day: 13:00-17:30 and 19:00-23:30. Both fit a four-hour set-up.
- San Mei Gallery — Gallery SpaceLoughborough JunctionAll in £1,275
- Daily 06:00–22:00
- Exhibit — The Secret GardenBalhamAll in, from £1,049 to £1,324
- Semi-private: other guests nearby
- Tue–Sat 17:00–22:00; Sun 12:00–20:00; over-21s after 18:00
- London Contemporary Art Gallery — Bottom FloorPimlicoAll in, from £1,214 to £1,324
- Closed Mondays. Open flames and candles need prior approval.
- aspen & meursault — Private Snug & CourtyardBatterseaAll in, from £1,049 to £1,379
- Semi-private: other guests nearby
- Bookable 12:00-23:00 every day.
- DoubleTree by Hilton London Kensington — Grenfell GardenSouth KensingtonAll in, from £1,159 to £1,379
- Semi-private: other guests nearby
- No music in the garden: amplified music is not permitted at all
- General Assembly Gallery — Whole SpaceMayfairAll in £1,401
- Mimosa House — Gallery Space, first floorHolbornAll in £1,489
- The £400 afternoon session is 13:30-17:00 - three and a half hours, so a four-hour set-up needs the £900 evening.
Another 25 in this band are flats and lofts hired whole. We do not list those by name on this page. The finder below will show you the ones that fit you, with the full figure for each.
£1,500 and up — 27 spots
The ones we can name:
- Estorick Collection — Galleries 1, 2 and 3Canonbury, IslingtonAll in £1,555
- Four hours confirmed by the gallery. Closed Mondays.
- No coloured or sticky drinks in the galleries, and no dancing or smoking anywhere in the building.
- Map Maison — Whole VenueDalstonAll in, from £1,049 to £1,599
- Savage Garden — Ferus SuiteTower HillAll in £1,599
- LED candles only; non-refundable inside 90 days; over-18s after 18:00
- Bow Arts — Nunnery GalleryBowAll in, around £1,198 to £1,687
- Based on the venue’s published rate — we confirm before you book
- Evening hire is 17:00-22:00 Tuesday to Sunday during exhibitions; all day Mondays and Tuesdays. A keyholder at £14.80 an hour is added outside 9am-5pm.
- October Gallery — Gallery & CourtyardBloomsburyAll in, from £1,456 to £1,702
- Mon–Sat 18:30–21:30 only; Sun closed
- Wagtail — The NestBankAll in £1,737
- William Morris Gallery — Acanthus RoomWalthamstowAll in, from £1,489 to £1,819
- Closed for renewal work since 22 June 2026, reopening in phases before 3 October 2026. Anyone enquiring now is booking for October onwards.
- Van Gogh House — Gallery, Kitchen and GardenStockwellAll in, around £1,850
- Based on the venue’s published rate — we confirm before you book
- Candles and decoration are at the owners' discretion and must be agreed in advance. Maximum 30 people in the house.
- St Dunstan in the East GardenCity of LondonAll in, around £1,938
- Semi-private: other guests nearby
- April to September only
- Based on the venue’s published rate — we confirm before you book
- Daytime garden hours; eight-week council application
- Burgh House & Hampstead Museum — The LibraryHampsteadAll in, from £1,159 to £1,984
- Mon–Fri 09:00–22:30; weekends by the day
- Fortnum & Mason — The Tasting RoomSt JamesAll in, around £1,984
- Based on the venue’s published rate — we confirm before you book
- The evening session is 18:30-23:30. A service charge is not stated on the listing - confirm it.
- 1 Leicester Square Rooftop — The View, private roomLeicester SquareAll in £2,149
- No confetti
- No naked flames, so we dress it with LED candles
- Tattershall Castle — The BridgeEmbankmentAll in, from £1,324 to £2,149
- A 17:00–23:00 evening session runs all seven days, 17:00–22:00 on Sunday. The price is a minimum spend, not a hire fee.
- Tamesis Dock — The West Facing DeckVauxhallAll in £2,259
- Semi-private: other guests nearby
- Open-air deck with an awning; over-18s only
- Freud Museum — Dining RoomHampsteadAll in, from £1,555 to £2,347
- Evening hire is 17:00-23:00; daytime hire only Monday and Tuesday.
- The Alwyne Castle — ConservatoryHighburyAll in, from £1,049 to £2,424
- Glass-roofed room with its own door onto the garden
- The Prince of Wales Feathers — The Roof TerraceFitzroviaAll in, from £1,379 to £2,479
- A 17:00–23:00 evening session runs all seven days, 17:00–22:00 on Sunday. The price is a minimum spend, not a hire fee.
- The Greenwich Tavern — King William RoomGreenwichAll in, from £774 to £2,699
- In a residential area, so music and entertainment may be restricted.
- Battersea Park — The BandstandBatterseaAll in, from £2,105 to £2,897
- Semi-private: other guests nearby
- April to September only
- Closed Saturdays. Three-hour minimum booking; the £360 is per hour, not per session.
- The Solo Kitchen & Bar — Roof TerraceBethnal GreenAll in, from £2,356 to £4,212
- Mon–Thu 12:00–23:30; Fri–Sat to 00:30
- The Goldsmiths' Centre — The AtriumClerkenwellAll in, around £5,436
- Based on the venue’s published rate — we confirm before you book
- Evening hire runs 6.00pm to 10.45pm. Hours beyond that are charged separately, at about £300 each.
- You may bring your own bottles, but there is a corkage charge of about £60 a bottle.
- Doggett's Coat and Badge — Rooftop Terrace BarBlackfriarsAll in, from £2,699 to £5,999
- A 17:00–23:00 evening session runs all seven days. The price is a minimum spend on food and drink, not a hire fee.
Another 5 in this band are flats and lofts hired whole. We do not list those by name on this page. The finder below will show you the ones that fit you, with the full figure for each.
Why one spot costs nothing and another costs thousands
Four things move the number, and knowing them will save you money.
1. Evenings and weekends cost more than weekday afternoons
18 of the 94 spots we price charge more at a weekend or in the evening than on a quiet weekday, which is why so many of the figures above are a range rather than one number. The widest gap on the list is Doggett's Coat and Badge — Rooftop Terrace Bar: £2,699 at the cheap end and £5,999 at the dear one, for the same room. If your date is flexible, a weekday afternoon is a cheaper proposal than a Saturday night in exactly the same place.
2. A hire fee and a minimum spend are not the same thing
A hire fee is rent for the room. A minimum spend is a bar or kitchen bill you have to reach, and if two of you cannot eat and drink your way to it you pay the difference anyway. For two people the option that looks dearer is very often the cheaper one. We work out which is which before you choose, and the figure you see is whichever comes out lower.
3. Free space is genuinely free, and genuinely public
A small set-up we carry in and clear the same day needs no council booking in the gardens on our list. That is why those spots cost what they cost. It is also why nobody can give you the garden to yourselves — including us.
4. The venue line is one number
Hire, service, cleaning, the lot, for the whole booking. You will not get a second bill from the venue on the day. Where a figure is worked out from a spot’s published rate rather than quoted for your date, its entry above says so in as many words.
What is not in these numbers
- The ring. Obvious, and the biggest number in the day for most people.
- Dinner afterwards, unless the spot is a restaurant and a minimum spend covers it.
- Deposits the venue holds. A few take a refundable deposit on top. Those are the venue’s terms, not ours, and we flag them before you commit.
- Notice periods. Some spots want several weeks. Where one does, it is on its entry above. If you are proposing inside a fortnight, that rules some places out — and we will tell you which.
- Rain. Most outdoor spots have no cover. Where one is covered, its entry says so.
Questions people ask
Can you propose in a London park for free?
The space, yes — 7 of the spots we work in charge nothing at all for a small set-up that is carried in and cleared the same day. The proposal itself is £499 all in, which is the decor and a photographer. What you cannot buy at any price is having the place to yourselves: they are public and they stay open. We set up early and work quickly.
How much is a proposal photographer in London?
Ours is one flat fee and it is the same fee at every spot, so it is already inside every figure on this page. Worth checking whether a quote you have from anyone else includes one — the cheapest-looking package usually does not.
Is it cheaper on a weekday?
Usually, and sometimes by a lot. 18 of the 94 spots we price cost more at a weekend or in the evening than on a quiet weekday, which is why so many of the figures here are a range rather than one number. If the date does not matter to your story, moving it is the single easiest way to spend less.
How far ahead should I book?
Three to eight weeks suits most spots that have a booking process, and the free gardens need no notice at all. Some ask for more, and where a spot does, its notice period is on its entry. If your date is inside a fortnight, ask anyway and we will tell you honestly which spots are still possible.
What is the cheapest proposal you will do?
£499 all in, and it is a real price rather than a teaser: the decor, the photographer, and one of the gardens that charges nothing for the space.
What is not included in these prices?
The ring, and dinner afterwards unless the spot is a restaurant. Some venues also hold a refundable deposit of their own, and a few will not take a booking at short notice. Those are the venue’s terms rather than ours, and we flag them before you commit to anything.
See what fits you
Four questions — where you can picture asking, how private it needs to be, roughly when, and a comfortable total. We will send you three real spots with the full price of each. No date needed, nothing booked.
Find your spot →Every figure here is worked out on a booking of about four hours, from the venue’s own published rate or a quote given to us. We check this price with the venue for your date before you pay anything. Last checked: 21 September 2026.