Largest Study of Its Kind Highlights Proposal Trends Leading Up to the Most Popular Time for Couples to Get Engaged—November Through February
The Knot—the nation’s premier wedding planning and registry resource—released findings from The Knot 2019 Jewelry & Engagement Study. In celebration of Proposal Season, which is the most popular time of the year (November through February) for couples to get engaged (37%), this study of more than 21,000 engaged or recently married respondents showcases the latest insights surrounding proposals and jewellery trends.
Over the last few years, personalisation has taken the lead as a priority for couples planning their weddings—and proposals are following suit. This year, the study finds those proposing spend an average of three months planning hyper-personalized, intimate moments to ask their significant other to marry them. While more than half (51%) of proposals occur in private, nearly one in five (18%) take place in locations significant to the couple’s past, like the couple’s favourite date spot or the location they first met.
“Today’s couples are more diverse than ever before, and what makes each proposal, wedding and even registry unique is the celebrating of two individuals and their love story,” says The Knot Editor in Chief Kristen Maxwell Cooper. “Couples are tossing and twisting engagement traditions like never before, whether choosing to propose on top of a mountain in private or at the location of their first date in front of family and friends, ultimately prioritizing their personal preferences for the start of their wedding planning journey and soon-to-be newlywed lives.”
The focus of personalisation extends from the proposal to one’s engagement jewellery as well, with 45% of engagement rings including custom-designed elements. And while diamonds (83%) continue to reign as the most popular centre stone, non-diamond precious stones are gaining momentum, with one in ten to-be-weds opting for stones like moissanite and sapphire. In addition to having personalisation on the brain, ring-exchanging couples are shifting their focus when shopping for engagement rings, increasingly prioritising the overall cost and quality of the ring rather than its total size and ultimately relying on local jewellery retailers (40%) and national jewelry chains (30%) as the most popular places to purchase a ring.
