When is the most romantic time to pop the question?
- Winter proposals found to be the most romantic
- Christmas day named the most ideal setting for being asked the question
- A third of the UK expect one month’s salary to be spent on the ring
- To find out more about the research, please visit: http://www.goldsmiths.co.uk/Winter-Proposals
Any men planning on getting down on one knee in the coming weeks should hold off until December, after new research revealed winter makes for the most romantic proposal setting.
In fact, you should wait until December 25th as Christmas Day was voted the ideal day for a proposal by more than half of the UK – and if you wanted to go for top romance scores across the board then you would tuck into your turkey in Paris, with the French capital topping the most desired locations to do so.
The study by the UK’s largest luxury jewellers, Goldsmiths, used a scoring system to rank each season’s romance-potential according to the public. Winter scored 7.5/10 on this system, while autumn emerged as the worst time to pop the question coming out the least romantic of the four seasons with a score of 6.9.
Six in 10 people described the perfect setting as a snow-filled, winter’s day, ahead of a summer holiday or beach proposal. Interestingly, however, men don’t always get it right – 64% of women said winter was their number one choice for a proposal, compared to just 54% of men.
While Parisian proposals were voted the most romantic in terms of location, that was not the case with all Brits. Instead, the renaissance city of Florence with its infamous Duomo was preferred by millennials.
Those wanting to propose closer to home should head to London, or even Bradford with the Yorkshire city famous more for its textiles than romance also entering the list.
As part of the research Goldsmiths also asked the British public to name the figure we expect to be spent on an engagement ring.
The most common expectation is that a third of the man’s annual salary is spent on the ring, however, be warned men; one in 50 women said they expect a whole year’s salary. With the average annual salary topping £27,000 that would fetch a sizeable ring indeed! Interestingly, men and women had virtually the same views on how much should be spent on the ring.
Regardless of the size of the ring it appears none of us want a flashy, public proposal. These may make good viewing on YouTube, but the reality is private is a much better route to take. Three in four respondents said that they want a low-key traditional proposal, and just 9% admitted to wanting the big show.
The research also found that:
- 21% of people gave winter 10/10 on our ‘romance scale’, with the 18-24s scoring it an impressive 8.2/10
- The Geordies were the biggest Francophiles, with 1 in 3 choosing Paris as their location of choice when proposing
- Over 40% of people in Norwich scored winter a perfect 10 on the romance scale
Craig Bolton, Executive Director at Goldsmiths, commented on the findings: “We can now say beyond doubt that winter is the best time to pop the question and if you can time this to coincide with a snowy day, then even better! Asking someone to marry you or being proposed to is one of the most memorable occasions in a person’s life, and people go to great lengths to make sure the moment is perfect. Our research suggests that with Autumn ranked as the least romantic time getting down on one knee – so if the leaves are falling it is not the way forward for wannabe-grooms.
“While it’s no great surprise to see Paris and Rome named in the top locations, we have to be honest and admit, with the greatest respect to their residents, that we didn’t expect to see them next to the likes of Bradford, Sheffield and even Benidorm!”
The research was informed by a national survey of 1,019 UK adults.
To find out more about the research, please visit: http://www.goldsmiths.co.uk/Winter-Proposals
About Goldsmiths
- With over 230 years of experience and tradition, Goldsmiths sells fine jewellery and diamonds, including exclusive brand Mappin & Webb and operates the largest distribution network for Rolex, Omega and TAG Heuer.
- Each piece of Goldsmiths’ diamond jewellery is hand checked for quality and covered by the Goldsmiths’ Diamond Promise (Goldsmiths will inspect and clean your diamond every year, for life).
- The Goldsmiths Servicing & Repairs offer employs more watchmakers than any other UK High Street Retailer with onsite watchmakers available at a number of stores.
