(© Ekaterina Pokrovsky - stock.adobe.com)
NEW YORK — Many couples dream of the “perfect” proposal. Unfortunately, a new survey finds the majority don’t even come close to going as they planned! Just 39% of Americans gave their marriage proposals an “A+”.
The poll of 2,000 engaged or married Americans took a deep dive into modern proposal traditions, asking respondents to grade their engagements based on how successful they felt it went. Results show that just two in five couples would give their engagements a perfect score, with the rest having some critiques about how they popped the question.
The average respondent graded their engagements an A-, but 29% said their expectations were not met at all! Only half the poll (50%) said they wouldn’t change a thing if they could do their proposal all over again.
Conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Blue Nile, researchers also found that the average person would change two aspects of their proposal. When asked what those things would be, 35% would change the location of their proposal, and one in 10 would actually change the ring they picked out!
Another 18% would change how the proposer delivered the ring. Surprisingly, only 36% of respondents note that their partner got down on one knee for the proposal.
Three in 10 people said the “three months’ salary” rule — the idea that the person proposing should spend about three months of their salary on the engagement ring — is officially outdated, with the results showing that over half of the respondents did not follow the three-month rule when they bought their ring. Respondents are also trusting their instincts when it comes to picking something their partner would like — the majority (68%) did not shop for their ring together.
“Proposals are evolving,” a spokesperson for Blue Nile says in a statement. “We’ve seen lab-grown diamond and gemstone engagement rings grow in popularity. However, the most important thing to remember when creating the perfect proposal is that the ring should be a reflection of your unique love story.”
The most common diamonds selected were princess-cut, and round brilliants and the most common metals were white gold and yellow gold.
“It’s exciting to see how proposal trends change with each generation,” the spokesperson for Blue Nile adds. “Mixed metals and maximalist styles are highly sought after right now. Still, finding the right ring is a very personal thing and remains a beautiful way to visually represent a lifelong commitment.”
Survey methodology
Talker Research surveyed 2,000 women; the survey was commissioned by Blue Nile and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between Oct. 16 and Oct. 24, 2024.
