The Travel Bookshop, made famous in the film Notting Hill, has become a popular spot for marriage proposals. Photo / Getty Images
The Travel Bookshop, made famous in the film Notting Hill, has become a popular spot for marriage proposals. Photo / Getty Images
The romance in Notting Hill is ubiquitous but it extends far beyond the screen.
The Notting Hill Bookshop, better known as The Travel Book Co. in Richard Curtis' cult noughties rom-com, Notting Hill gets regular requests from fans wanting to get engaged in the shop.
According to one of the shop's owners, James Malin, even more eager couples will line up to honour Hugh Grant and Julia Robert's characters' engagement in the 1999 film during its 20th anniversary next year.
Malin, who has owned the shop with his brother Howard for the past 10 years told The Sunday Telegraph they are delighted by the frequency of couples hoping to tie the knot with their help.
He said: "We have had several approaches during the past few years and there's other people that we are not aware of, like an American couple we didn't find out about until they returned for their anniversary.
The Travel Bookshop, made famous in the film Notting Hill, has become a popular spot for marriage proposals. Photo / Getty Images
"We don't always find out they are proposing but if they want us to do something special, we will."
The biggest trend they see is the number of international fans choosing London for their engagement. Malin added: "We have seen an increase in the past five years but I can't say why, it's just a great thing to happen.
"They come from all over - it's like a pilgrimage - we've had people from Australia, America, China and Japan.
"We even had a young Chinese couple who were here on their honeymoon and dressed up again in their wedding outfits to walk around with a professional photographer and a young Chinese couple who met in our shop and came back six months later to tell us they were still together."
One German from Eppstein made his other half's dreams come true when he proposed to her in the back section of the shop, which is still named Travel Book Co. to honour the film.
Marius Köppen, 32, hid an engagement ring inside a Harry Potter book before travelling to London with his then girlfriend, Angela in September 2015.
Their connection over the film, which they first watched together as teens, inspired Mr Köppen to propose in the iconic shop. He said: "I wanted to do something special for her, I thought about what connected us over the years.
The film, starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant, will celebrate its 20th anniversary next year. Photo / File
He described their moment as magical, adding: "I think there were some customers there, but both of us were completely on our own.
"We got catapulted into a world, where there were only the two of us."
Koppen, 30, added: "I didn't expect the proposal, I was not prepared for it in London. It was overwhelming and I was so thankful he made this moment so special just for me."
With the film's 20th anniversary fast approaching, the Malin brothers are expecting to be inundated by tourists who typically pose for photos outside the famous blue shop face before flicking through their stock of classic books.
"I just hope that is chockablock all week," Malin added. "[Tourists] always have a smile on their face, it is just a great space to work in."
