New York has the Empire State Building. Paris has the Eiffel Tower. And we have a brightly lit ball 560 feet in the air. Since it opened, in 1978, Reunion Tower has become a destination for romantic gestures and a nightly glowing reminder of love for thousands of couples. Here are a few facts and figures behind the matches made in (or at least near) heaven.
730
Average number of proposals at Reunion Tower each year, which breaks down to about two every day.
40
Average number of people who propose at Reunion Tower on Valentine’s Day weekend.
36
Number of years that Mark and Patty Lovvorn have returned to Reunion Tower to celebrate their anniversary. Mark popped the question by hiring a plane to fly his proposal past the ball on April 9, 1980. The Reunion Tower staff even accommodated the couple’s request for a hard-hat lunch one year when the tower was undergoing renovations.
5,000
Size of the crowd at a lawn party last August when a veteran tricked his librarian girlfriend into getting onstage before asking for her hand in marriage. The proposal took days of coordination between event hosts and Le Freak’s band members. Every news station in town caught the moment on camera.
68
Number of seconds it took for one couple to tie the knot in an elevator while ascending to Reunion Tower’s Cloud Nine, the event space where family and friends were waiting to celebrate.
60
Minutes it takes for the floor within the ball to rotate 360 degrees. The most popular time to bend down on one knee is when the couple has a view of downtown at sunset.
5
Meal course (dessert) during which most people pop the question while dining at Reunion Tower’s restaurant, Five Sixty. Because nothing says love like a baked Alaska.
1
There is one staff member whose sole job is to coordinate proposals and other romantic gestures, arranging every detail from roses to Champagne to photography. Ten other staffers assist in the months leading up to Valentine’s Day, which they refer to as Reunion Tower’s Super Bowl.
0
Staff says there has never been a rejection when someone has bought the “Love Is in the Air” package. They keep every proposal story on file, along with photos.
