Married at First Sight UK (or MAFS) has returned to our TV screens, igniting conversations across social media as hopeful participants say ‘I do’ to perfect strangers.
And, despite the majority of the show’s couples being relatively young (aged between 28 and 34), many have expressed they feel left behind in the race for love.
In his introduction episode before marrying his partner, Caspar Todd, 34, shared: “So far, I have failed to find the right person to settle down with. I didn’t think 34 would come around, and this is where I’d be.”
The sentiment that they are getting on, or love had passed them by, was shared by many cast members in their late 20s and early 30s.
However, a new study from wedding and engagement ring experts at Queensmith has unveiled that most UK couples pop the question between the ages of 30 and 35.
Queensmith’s 2024 Marriage Proposal Report revealed that 52% of couples got engaged in their early 30s, with 71% engaged between 30 and 50 – the age demographics of all the MAFS couples bar 24-year-old Nathan and 27-year-old Lacey.
Although the ages of the MAFS cast reflect reality, there are a few glaring differences leading up to the big day.
While the cast is simultaneously engaged and married within 24 hours, most Brits (74%) take over a year to get down the aisle after getting on one knee, according to Queensmith’s research.
Similarly, despite MAFS couple’s friends and family meeting their future spouse at the aisle, Queensmith found half of people had help planning their engagement, with parents helping in 35% of proposals and friends helping in a further 34%.
And, while the MAFs star’s journies are filmed for the show, perhaps shockingly, Queensmith’s research found that a whopping 82% of couples expressed that a private proposal was important to them with only half capturing their proposal on camera.
