You've seen those "marquee" proposals. They might involve scuba-diving, popping the question live on the Today show, or getting the entire family and group of friends to participate. According to a new survey from WeddingWire, they're not going anywhere anytime soon. But proposals have changed majorly since 10 years ago.
The biggest difference? Proposals are a heck of a lot more elaborate and a bigger production than they were back in 2007. The survey of over 900 people who've been married over the past 10 years found that 54% say their proposal was "more unique and unexpected than most people," up 18% from 10 years ago. Plus, formality is back — 82% say their proposal involved someone getting down on one knee, which is up from 65%.
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"I think social media has a lot to do with proposals being more elaborate," WeddingWire trend expert Anne Chertoff told Refinery29. "[But] the pressure of creating something with great images and videos to share can add to proposal-planning stress."
That said, one-third of millennials are still proposing at home in their PJs; 28%, to be exact (though this is down from 41%) — and they're joined by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who got engaged over a dinner of roast chicken at their home at Nottingham Cottage late last month.
Another difference in today's proposals is that people are getting the whole crew involved. Compared to 14% 10 years ago, 25% of couples invited their friends and family to witness the proposal. And — just like Meghan and Harry — 68% announced their engagement on social media, which is up from 34%.
"Destination bachelor and bachelorette parties are another example of a shared group experience that has become popular in the past 10 to 15 years," says Chertoff. "So involving friends and family brings the couple's community together to plan, participate, and celebrate their engagement."