- Esther Lee-The Knot
Nearly Half of All Proposals in 2017 Were Done In Public, According to a New Study
Privacy is so yesterday… at least for half of those surveyed by The Knot in a new study. According to our 2017 Jewelry & Engagement Study, which encompasses a pool of more than 14,000 brides and grooms across the country, only 53 percent of proposals this past year were executed in private, while the opposite held true in public.
The study reveals that the number of public proposals has gone up since 2011 with 45 percent of all engagements now happening out in the open to some capacity. That number has shifted upwards from just 34 percent back in 2011.
However, there was only a slight shift from traditionally private proposals, meaning the moment takes place only between the two parties. Fifty-three percent of proposals took place in private, down from 57 percent in 2011.
That statistical jump in public proposals accompanies an increased amount of viral engagements, like when Pentatonix lead singer Kirstin Maldonado was surprised with a ring at the foot of the Eiffel Tower in June 2016. The couple’s wedding photographer, Pierre Torset, told The Knot at the time that Maldonado’s fiancé Jeremy Lewis, had planned the romantic moment well in advance.
This particular example falls in line with The Knot study, which cites that 40 percent of grooms responded that their proposals were “meticulously planned, down to the last detail.”
On the bride’s end, public proposals may have been accompanied by some sort of advance knowledge about the gesture taking place. (Have to get those nails ready for #TheKnotRings, right?) For only 35 percent of brides, the proposal came as a complete surprise, which was down from 40 percent in 2011.
Click here for more key findings from the study, including the average engagement ring cost in 2017 to the average shape and size of the stone.