As far as life-changing events go, getting engaged is right up there with the biggies. After surveying 10,000 people across the UK for their annual marriage proposal survey, stag and hen specialists, Chillisauce, have an exclusive insight into the changing trends and preferences of marriage proposals across the UK.
What’s the best day of the year to propose?
Wedding season traditionally runs throughout the summer months but it seems that winter is when proposals reach their peak. Christmas Eve was crowned the most popular day of the year to propose with 31% of the votes, followed by Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve. This year Chillisauce opened the survey to include more flexible days, such as birthdays and the anniversary of the date a couple met. These dates still proved to be more popular than Boxing Day (2%) with with 9% of respondents choosing birthday and 11% chose the anniversary of the day they met.
From the findings, it appears that 40% of proposals are expected to happen over the Christmas period. Sandy Moretta, Wedding planner and Director at UK Alliance of Wedding Planners, shared her views on why Christmas is such a popular time for couples to get engaged: “Two of the reasons the Christmas season is so magical is due to romance and family, two elements which proposals combine so perfectly. So planning a proposal in the winter months makes a lot of sense. On a practical note, if they wish to be really traditional, as many of my clients do, they are also likely to see the bride’s father to formally ask for her hand at this time of year.”
When he/she thinks is the best time to propose
Of course, men and women might not always be on the same wavelength and it appears some men could be peaking too early with when they pop the question. Results showed a third of the men quizzed would choose to propose on Christmas Eve, whereas 29% of women confirmed they would want their man to put a ring on it on Valentine’s Day and 20% are hoping to get engaged on the anniversary of the day they met. Lauren Troughton, spokesperson for Chillisauce added “Christmas Eve is a magical time of year and what a wonderful way to start celebrations. Our busiest months for organising stag and hen events for our customers is between January to March, so we thought it would make sense that so many people are asking one of the most important questions of their lives over Christmas. Over the years, Sparkly ring pictures uploaded to social media have become an expected staple of Christmas, along with the turkey and the crackers!“
What makes a good proposal?
Proposals are increasingly becoming one big production, from orchestrated flashmobs to fake plane crashes – people seem to be going bigger each year. It might be worth noting, however, that 51% of women in the UK want their partner to get to the point and plainly ask ‘will you marry me?’ So while thoughtful gestures are all well and good, cryptic hints and a brass band might not be so welcome!
When did you get engaged? Share your stories with us, we would love to hear about them!
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