No matter whether you’re blissfully enjoying the first few months of seeing each other, have been dating for a couple of years, or have spent over a decade together, at some point you may have wondered when – or if – your other half will pop the big question. While some individuals are extremely keen to slide that sparkly ring onto their finger and walk down the aisle as soon as they can, others are happy to wait a little longer.
So just how long would you be prepared to wait when it comes to a marriage proposal? And how does your answer compare to other people’s opinions across the UK?
The ‘right’ time
According to research carried out by family-owned high street jewellers F.Hinds, the average person is happy to wait 2 years, 3 months and 19 days after getting together with their partner. Men are in fact in more of a rush, with the average male stating that they’d like to be engaged within 2 years, 2 months and 12 days of being with their loved one. Women, on the other hand, said they could wait a couple more months.
Generational differences
Do you have an ‘ideal’ age of when you’d like to say yes to the person of your dreams…?
The younger the individual, the bigger the rush, the data shows. 18-24-year-olds want to book stunning wedding venues and sensational honeymoon destinations a lot quicker than their older companions.
Those aged between 35 and 44 would wait 2 years and 6 months for a ring, while individuals over the age of 65 wouldn’t mind if it didn’t happen until almost 2 years and 9 months into the relationship.
Under pressure
As time goes on and you’ve been dating for a while, there is often a lot of pressure for you both to get engaged from family and friends. Sometimes, though, this can have a negative impact. Instead of getting on with planning the proposal, your partner may be put off, and instead drag their feet. If you’re the one wanting to set a date ASAP, this could prove quite frustrating for you!
No matter what everyone around you is doing, there is no ‘normal’ amount of time to wait before getting engaged. Despite the opinions of your friends and families, it’s crucial that you do whatever feels right for you both. When you really know each other and can’t wait to spend the rest of your lives together, you can start planning your special day – after you have said yes of course!
Timing can be everything when it comes to proposals, so F.Hinds wanted to create a fun way to test exactly how skilled we are in finding the right time to propose. We’ve hidden an engagement ring in the below jumble of watches and clocks, can you prove you’re a master of timing by beating the average 13 seconds it takes to find the ring?
