How to plan a romantic surprise in Bengaluru

Outside the hotels, nobody we found sells the decor, the dinner and the photos together. At home, it's a decorator and food you order.

The middle budget people wrote to us was about ₹5,000. That buys a bedroom with a canopy, and the cake.

Doing it yourself saves the decorator's fee and costs you an evening.

Ask who clears up. Maruthi Events takes his setup down, but the mess after the evening is yours. Shubham Parties collects rented pieces, like a cabana tent, the next day and leaves the balloons and flowers with you. One balloon shop's lists rent the decor for four hours.

Give them time in the room. Maruthi Events usually asks to get in three hours before you need it.

Hotel dinners run to fixed hours, such as 7 pm to 11 pm. Ask what taxes go on the bill on top.

Check they come to your area. Further out, it can cost more. Ask.

What the extra pays for. About ₹1,750 more. The shop's list is named for helium, counts 140 balloons and makes 40 of them metallic. Maruthi Events' balloons are air-filled and stuck up with ribbons, and he doesn't say how many. The same shop's page for its polka helium balloons says they last about 3 to 6 hours in the air, so ask how long the metallic ones last.

What each leaves to you. Maruthi Events takes the setup down, but the mess after is yours to clear. The shop rents its decor for four hours and charges for extra hours without saying how much. You give a ladder and power, do the cleaning before and after, and pay for any damage to its decor. Its page doesn't say whether travel is extra, so ask.

Who works each way on mytribe. Air-filled balloons: Maruthi Events, from ₹1,500, and TK Balloon Shades, so ask him for the price. Helium: none of our decorators has told us they put helium balloons up in a bedroom. Jay Bhawani Decoration sells helium balloons from his Jayanagar store for you to collect, so ask him. For petals, a canopy or a cabana instead: All About Happiness, who do fresh flowers from ₹7,000 for any Bengaluru job, and Shubham Parties, who put up cabana and teepee tents, so ask him for the price. To go out instead, Cozy Celebrations' garden venues come with the decor from ₹6,000 (Q5).

A decorator who checks your photo first helps. Maruthi Events looks at the photo you send before he agrees, and tells you upfront if he can't make it.

Ask about the balloons on the ceiling. Some decorators use only air-filled balloons and stick them up with ribbons hanging, the way Maruthi Events does. The shops' lists name helium balloons when they use them. One shop's page gives its polka helium balloons 3 to 6 hours in the air. Ask yours how long theirs stay up.

Ask whether the candles are real. Some lists include tealights, others LED candles in lamps. If you want real flames, say so and ask where they'll stand.

Cozy Celebrations' two garden venues are yours alone for two and a half hours. Cozy Containers is in Dwaraka Nagar, near RR Nagar, and Cloud Canopy is on Gubbalala Main Road. Slots start at 10 am, 2 pm and 6 pm. A setup costs ₹6,000 to ₹25,000 with the venue, for up to five people, GST included. Each extra guest is ₹500 and an extra hour ₹1,500.

You pay the whole price when you book. They don't take cancellations or give refunds. Bring the food and the cake, or order in. No alcohol.

At a hotel, ask who else will be there. A garden or poolside table may have other guests nearby.

In Cubbon Park and Lalbagh, professional photo shoots have been banned since 2018, because the flashes disturb the bees. Phones are fine. Cubbon Park also bars food brought in and public displays of affection.

If she says no, the setup is still paid for. You're paying for the decor and the people's time. Cozy Celebrations takes the whole price upfront and gives no refund.

Plan who is where. A decorator may want the place three hours before (Q2). Someone lets them in and brings her there once it's ready, and the photographer needs to know where to stand. Cozy Celebrations will pass on a photographer's number if you ask.

For Valentine's Day, ask early. We have no Valentine's prices from these decorators, so ask whether the price changes that week.

Plan a covered fallback in October and November. Rain in both months has been rising, and it changes a lot from year to year. Winter is the driest season.

Wind is your risk on a terrace. Shubham Parties won't redo or refund a setup the wind brings down, so ask yours.

Put the time in writing. Ask who is coming to set up, and ask for a photo when it's done, so you know before you bring your partner in.

If they let you down. None of the decorators here has told us what they'd do if they can't come. A non-refundable advance can still come back. Under section 74 of the Indian Contract Act, a business keeps only reasonable compensation when a deal breaks. Keep the WhatsApp thread and the receipt.

If it falls short, check it against the photo you agreed before you pay the rest. Shubham Parties gives a part refund if a setup falls short; ask yours.