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Rafael Usufally was more than eager to propose to Alexandria Kishore, his girlfriend of 11 years — but he wasn’t about to get down on one knee until he’d managed to create “the perfect moment.”

First, the loved-up Long Islander would need a ring — and money was no object. What mattered most to the electrical engineer, 30, was wowing his now-fiancée, who works as an administrator at a neurologist’s office.

So Usufally spent weeks poring over diamonds, finally deciding on a $11,000 radiant and emerald cut number with a diamond-filled band — more than double the $5,200 average cost of an engagement ring in the US, according to a 2024 study.

“It wasn’t like [I had] a budget, it was more about finding something that I could see myself getting for her. I started out at one price, but then I started liking more stuff, and the price just kept increasing,” he told The Post.

And he wasn’t done — not yet.

Next, Usufally enlisted an event planning company, spending $2,200 on a proposal package, which included a private photographer and beautiful decorations for a private room he rented at the Manhattan skyline-facing Waterside Restaurant in North Bergen, New Jersey, for $600, where their dinner afterward cost another $250.

Finally, on a chilly, late fall day last year, Usufally lured his bride-to-be to the views-for-days spot on the pretense of having scheduled a couple’s photo shoot.

Instead, Kishore was shocked to walk into the stunning, candle-lit space, filled with hundreds of scattered rose petals and featuring her long-time boyfriend on bended knee.

“My heart stopped at that moment; it was so surreal,” Kishore told The Post.

Total cost of proposal? A whopping $14,050, which is almost half of what the average wedding in 2025 costs.

A memory that will live on forever? Priceless.

That’s according to the two lovebirds — just one in a slew of couples spending nearly what a wedding used to cost ($20,000 back in 2000) just to pop the question, as elaborate and highly-publicized influencer and celebrity engagements start to feel like the norm, like Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s, for instance.

This past August, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end proposed to the pop star in a custom-decorated garden in his backyard that floral experts believe cost around $38,000.

And let’s not forget when Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, proposed to his now wife, Lauren Sánchez, in May 2023 on his $500 million superyacht as they cruised around the Mediterranean while a full crew catered to the couple and their family members.

But these days, it’s not just the rich and the famous pulling out all the stops for their big ask.

“My clients’ proposals have run the gamut — one got engaged on a helicopter and another on a pier, and after the proposal, a boat came into view with their families [on it],” Melisa Imberman, owner of The Event of a Lifetime, Inc.told The Post.

“In many ways, it’s gotten a bit out of hand,” added Lauren Zizza, wedding planner and owner of Lauren Zizza Events. “One groom I worked with planned a surprise proposal at a private space at a venue, custom floral and candle installations, a live musician playing music, and a photographer to capture everything,” she told The Post.

And the pressure of social media doesn’t help.

“Social platforms have normalized grand gestures, creating a kind of proposal culture where there’s subtle pressure to make the moment visually stunning and emotionally powerful and seeing others’ proposals can influence expectations,” continued Zizza.

“For many couples, going above and beyond for a proposal isn’t just about extravagance; it’s about creating a once-in-a-lifetime memory that reflects the significance of the moment.”

This NYC-based couple knows a thing or two about extravagance. Phil Kessler, 31, decided in May 2022 that he wanted to ask his now husband, Zack Aberman Kessler, 31, to marry him, and the word “budget” wasn’t even in his vocabulary.

“I just spend what I feel is necessary for that situation rather than setting a number limit,” the video game designer told The Post.

The millennial couple were originally going to travel to the Hamptons, their favorite place, but after doing the math and seeing how, for the same money, they could hop on a plane and go to Europe, they decided on Portugal.

This put the idea in Phil’s head to ask Zack, a VP of global events at JP Morgan, to marry him at a serene “Instagrammable” beach in the town of Cascais.

While Portugal is known to be less expensive than other trendy European countries, Phil didn’t cut any corners for him and Zack, including booking a $1,000 a night five-star hotel.

The day of the proposal, the couple enjoyed a luxurious lunch with an over $200 bill at a restaurant on a cliff surrounded by the roaring ocean.

“It was definitely the most beautiful place I’ve ever been in my life. It was just over the top,” Phil gushed.

Afterward, the lovebirds took a stroll along the picturesque beach, where Phil eventually got down on one knee and whipped out two IWC Schaffhausen watches, both totaling $12,000. A hired photographer for “a few hundred dollars,” galavanted around the beach snapping pics of their happy moment.

“They’re the same watch but different colors [faces] and different styles [band],” he explained.

There were a lot of happy tears and dollars spent on this proposal — over $17,000 to be exact, but the couple couldn’t be happier with their experience.

“We always say it was the best day of our lives, even better than our wedding [which took place in September 2023],” said Phil.

From one European proposal to another, in May of last year, Michael Loconte, 33, planned a $3,200 trip to Italian hotspot Lake Como to celebrate his fiancée, Shannon Ganley, 30, getting her master’s. But in the back of his mind, he knew that would be the perfect place to ask her to marry him.

Loconte, who works in financial software, pulled off the surprise of a lifetime — a romantic proposal on a $500 scenic private boat tour around the beautiful town of Varenna with an “over $10,000, less than $15,000” round brilliant solitaire diamond engagement ring for Ganley.

The 33-year-old hired a photographer for $1,142 — whose cover-up story was that he was taking promo shots of the boat — to tag along and capture the special moment.

“It was when we were finally in front of the marina, the so-called boat photographer said, ‘Would you like a picture in front of it?’ He turned back to us in the cabin, and in that moment, I thought, ‘This could be happening. Oh, my God,’” the mental health counselor told The Post.

After many hugs and kisses, the newly engaged New Jersey couple indulged in celebratory drinks on their way to a $351 “beautiful dinner with a full tasting menu” before finishing off the memorable night at a wine bar.

“It was so special,” said a beaming Ganley.

The total cost of the couple’s Italian proposal: $17,193.