How would you grade your marriage proposal?

Just 39% of Americans gave their marriage proposals an “A+”, according to new research.

A new survey of 2,000 engaged or married Americans examined modern proposal traditions and asked respondents to grade their engagements based on how successful they felt it went.

Results found that just two in five couples would give their engagements a perfect score, with the rest having some notes.

The average respondent graded their engagements an A-, but 29% said their expectations were simply not met.

Just 50% said they wouldn’t change anything if they could do their proposal all over again.

Conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Blue Nile, results also showed that the average person would change two things about their proposal.

When asked what those things would be, one in 10 said they would change their ring, while 35% said they’d change the location of the proposal.

Another 18% said they would change how the proposer actually delivered the ring.

Surprisingly, only 36% of respondents said their partner actually got down on one knee.

Thirty percent said the “three months’ salary” rule — the idea that the person proposing should spend about three months of their salary on the engagement ring — is officially outdated, with the results showing that over half of the respondents did not follow the three-month rule when they bought their ring.

Respondents are also trusting their instincts when it comes to picking something their partner would like — the majority (68%) did not shop for their ring together.

“Proposals are evolving,” said a spokesperson for Blue Nile. “We’ve seen lab grown diamond and gemstone engagement rings grow in popularity. However, the most important thing to remember when creating the perfect proposal is that the ring should be a reflection of your unique love story.”

Data from the survey also shows social media use as a dividing factor among couples and different generations.

One in four Gen Z (24%) and millennial (24%) engagement pics and videos are on social media within an hour of the proposal.

The most common diamond selection was revealed to be princess cut and round brilliant, and the most common metals were white gold and yellow gold.

“It’s exciting to see how proposal trends change with each generation,” said a spokesperson for Blue Nile. “Mixed metals and maximalist styles are highly sought after right now. Still, finding the right ring is a very personal thing and remains a beautiful way to visually represent a lifelong commitment.”

TOP 5 THINGS COUPLES WOULD CHANGE ABOUT THEIR ENGAGEMENTS

• Location (35%)
• Delivery – e.g. getting down on one knee, sitting down, standing up, etc – (18%)
• Friends and Family Involvement (16%)
• Weather (15%)
• Words partner said (13%)

Survey methodology:

Talker Research surveyed 2,000 women; the survey was commissioned by Blue Nile and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between Oct. 16 and Oct. 24, 2024.

We are sourcing from a non-probability frame and the two main sources we use are:

• Traditional online access panels — where respondents opt-in to take part in online market research for an incentive
• Programmatic — where respondents are online and are given the option to take part in a survey to receive a virtual incentive usually related to the online activity they are engaging in

Those who did not fit the specified sample were terminated from the survey. As the survey is fielded, dynamic online sampling is used, adjusting targeting to achieve the quotas specified as part of the sampling plan.

Regardless of which sources a respondent came from, they were directed to an Online Survey, where the survey was conducted in English; a link to the questionnaire can be shared upon request. Respondents were awarded points for completing the survey. These points have a small cash-equivalent monetary value.

Cells are only reported on for analysis if they have a minimum of 80 respondents, and statistical significance is calculated at the 95% level. Data is not weighted, but quotas and other parameters are put in place to reach the desired sample.

Interviews are excluded from the final analysis if they failed quality-checking measures. This includes:

• Speeders: Respondents who complete the survey in a time that is quicker than one-third of the median length of interview are disqualified as speeders
• Open ends: All verbatim responses (full open-ended questions as well as other please specify options) are checked for inappropriate or irrelevant text
• Bots: Captcha is enabled on surveys, which allows the research team to identify and disqualify bots
• Duplicates: Survey software has “deduping” based on digital fingerprinting, which ensures nobody is allowed to take the survey more than once

It is worth noting that this survey was only available to individuals with internet access, and the results may not be generalizable to those without internet access.