Proposal season may be coming to an end – 40% of marriage proposals take place between November and February – but with the right planning and lots of personalisation, any time of the year can be a great time to pop that very important question.
When proposing, planning is everything! Second only to wedding planning, organising the proposal of your, and your partner’s, dreams take time, but how much time do you need to prep for this big moment?
How long to plan the perfect proposal?
In short, the answer to this question really comes down to your preferences. If you have an extravagant proposal (complete with a flash mob and hidden photographer) in mind, you’ll need a little more time to plan and save for your grand gesture than an individual who wants to propose in a more pared-back, private way.
Understanding what you both want from the proposal is the key to time scaling on your terms as well as creating a memorable moment that’s unique to you and celebrates your relationship so far.
Do I need to budget for a marriage proposal?
One aspect of proposal planning that will influence its timescale is your choice of engagement ring. Here Hitched talks us through the average engagement ring spend for couples in the UK:
“According to our 2019 National Wedding Survey, the average engagement ring spend was £2,419. While the traditional amount was always thought to be around three months’ salary (thanks to a very effective marketing campaign!), a lot of jewellers are seeing engagement ring spend sit at around a month’s wage. The truth is that you should only spend what feels right for you and what you can afford. What you spend should never exceed what you can afford.”
While the three-month rule certainly no longer applies, budgeting for and buying an engagement ring you can afford and your partner will cherish for the rest of their life takes time. Depending on your circumstances, you should set aside anything from a few weeks to a year to save for the engagement ring.
In addition to the time it takes to save for the ring, you need to include ring lead times in your planning schedule, especially if you’re going bespoke. It can take up to six weeks for a bespoke engagement ring to be crafted and ready for its big debut.
What else do I need to know to prepare for the proposal?
Having an idea about what your significant other’s perfect proposal looks like is a must when planning your proposal. Chances are if you’re ready for engagement, you would have already had these conversations, so no need for a covert mission to gather intel in most situations!
Knowing whether your partner wants to be involved in selecting the ring is another must. Engagements aren’t what they used to be. In fact, anything goes, including making engagement ring shopping a shared experience. From this, you can budget and start to save for your proposal as well as tick off those planning to-dos that’ll make the occasion extra special.
