For better or worse? Are marriage proposal traditions now obsolete?

New research from vintage jewellery specialists William May has discovered that some of the oldest marriage proposal traditions are being left behind as couples take a more practical approach to getting engaged.

Surveying over 5,000 people in total, the company asked the following questions:

• Do women still want to be surprised with an engagement ring?
• Would a woman wear a ring she wasn’t happy with?
• Would a man exchange a ring if their partner wasn’t happy with it?
• Do men still ask for the father’s permission before proposing?

We discovered that:

• With many couples discussing the question long before it’s popped, the conventional element of surprise seems to be drifting out of fashion. Only 1 in 3 women we asked would rather not have any input when their partner chooses the ring, allowing them to surprise them out of the blue.

• Interestingly, however, 42% of women would wear an engagement ring they weren’t completely happywith. Perhaps they simply didn’t hint hard enough!

• The fact that so many women would spend the rest of their life wearing something they don’t like is baffling, especially when you consider that 74% of men we spoke to would be happy to exchange the ring!

Nick Withington, Managing Director at William May, says communication is a key component of a perfect marriage proposal: “It seems that tradition can often hold up the process of your perfect proposal. Being practical doesn’t ruin the magic and these days it’s totally normal for couples to go shopping for a ring together.

“Just because your future fiancée knows she’s getting a ring doesn’t mean that she knows when or where you will pop the question. You can still add that element of surprise with a perfectly planned moment together!”

So is anyone keeping up with tradition at all?

Well, William May found that it’s actually the younger generation who tend to stick to convention. 36% of 25 to 34-year-olds asked their partner’s father for his blessing before getting engaged. This is possibly one of the oldest traditions surrounding those four little words, yet many of us would assume it belongs in the past. However, our findings showed that the older generations are far less likely to follow this old-fashioned protocol, so what could have caused this tradition to re-emerge among younger men?

Times certainly have changed when it comes to marriage proposal traditions! We’ve created a handy infographic with a breakdown of all our statistics for your convenience. You can find it in this blog post on the William May website.

William May is a fine jewellery retailer, specialising in vintage wares. Stocking the most precious jewels, every item in the collection tells a story. With new & pre-loved items available, there’s something to suit all tastes.