The Marriage Proposal Survey

Will he or she say yes this year?

Here are the hidden secrets of proposals

Every year, plenty of people think about the big and meaningful things in life. And as far as life-changing events go, getting engaged is right up there with the biggies.

Here at Chillisauce, we speak to thousands ofstagsandhenson a weekly basis, and we hear all sorts of stories about how the proposal went. However, comprehensive data on proposals is not something that has been readily available to those that don’t work in our industry, so we’ve decided to change that.

Over 10,000 people surveyed

We quiz thousands of people across the country every year, and not only do the findings make fantastic research for those involved in the wedding industry, but they make for pretty interesting reading for the general public too. Ever wondered what the busiest month or most popular time of year is for popping the question?

When is the best time of the year to propose?

Christmas is the most popular time of year to propose

Between the 24th December and 1st January, there are more proposals and engagements than at any other time of year.

Valentine's is the most romantic day

With a total of 36% of votes, Valentine's day outshone any other day of the year for receiving the most amount of proposals.

Graph Valentines Preference Male to Female Blue Red

Men think this is the best time of year to propose

Of those voting for Valentine's Day as the best day of the year to propose, 40% are men. Therefore ladies, don't be surprised if your man wants to put a ring on it February 14th.

Why Valentine's Day

Marriage proposal - she said yes

Why do people propose on Valentine's Day?

When asked why people propose on the 14th February, the occasion "being romantic" was the biggest response, closely followed by "being in love" and "it's traditional".


A real life proposal

"I was taken to my favourite restaurant and was baught the most expensive bottle of champagne. We toasted after we ordered our meal and my boyfriend went on to say how he has had the best four years of his life, and that he wanted me soon to become his wife. He got down on one knee in the restaurant and asked me to marry him!"

– Keeley Armer

Sandy Moretta, Director at UK Alliance of Wedding Planners and owner ofternevents, shares her professional experience and insight into why Christmas is so popular for proposals:


What is the best way to propose?

Just say "will you marry me?"

Men take note. More than half of women surveyed said they want their partner to get to the point and plainly say "will you marry me?".

What makes a good proposal?

Cut to the chase when popping the question. Whilst grand gestures are all well and good, cryptic hints and beating around the bush are not so welcome, keep it simple and get the words out.

Some people feel there are other romantic ways to propose, including going down on one knee in Nandos, to whisking their loved one off on a trip to Paris.

How important is it to have the right ring?

What would you do if you secretly didnt like your engagement ring?

Would you tell your fiance or not… Our results show that 21% of women wouldn’t do anything or say anything about the ring, they would just accept it and wear it, whilst 16% of women said they would want to change the ring.

Other responses included sell it, bin it, accidentally lose it, or break up!

Should you get consent before saying 'I do'

Should you get the Father of the Brides approval?

Our survey shows that 69% of men would not ask for permission, however 57% of women think their partner should get consent beforehand.

Who should propose?

Should women pop the question too?

There are plenty of traditions attached to anything wedding related and one of those that has stood the test of time is that proposing is a man’s job. Whether he has any more jobs to do after getting that one out of the way is another thing altogether, but it seems most men are more than happy for women to take on that responsibility.

How many women would propose?

We asked how many women would actually be brave enough to take on this task themselves? 57% declared they would be willing to do it, however 76% of men think women should.

Leap Year - Women Proposing

What % of women do propose?

Being willing to propose and actually actually following through with it are 2 different things. We have however seen an increasing number of women proposing over the years we have been doing the survey. In 2010 only 5% of women (in heterosexual marriages) said they had proposed, but our most recent data (2019) shows that this has now reached 16%.

Leap Year

Leap Day - Most popular day from women to propose

The tradition of women proposing on 'Leap Day' is the said to date back to the 5th century. We asked women who were willing to propose to their partners, what their most popular day of choice to pop the question would be. 52% said they would choose 'leap day' (if it was a leap year) against only 25% that said they would choose Valentine's day. That will see leap day 2020, have the largest number of women proposing on any day in history!


Jewellers must be doing a roaring trade in the run-up to Christmas, as we can expect a flurry of engagements over the festive period.


And finally, if you’re planning an engagement then good luck! However you choose to do it, it’s one of the most important questions you’ll ever ask so make sure you enjoy it.