Nearly one in four women have rejected at least one proposal during their life, according to new research.
Reasons for turning down a proposal included that “it didn’t feel right” or that they didn’t think their partner was taking the proposal seriously enough, or even believing that the proposal was actually a joke! However, 23 percent of respondents who did decline a proposal did claim that they’d regretted the decision later on.
The research also shows that 59 percent of men said that the prospect of proposing to their partner made them feel nervous, with 15 percent admitting that the thought made them break out in a cold sweat.
One Reddit user, whom the firm spoke to during the research, demonstrated just how stressful a proposal can be by recording his own heart rate leading up to, during and after proposing during a break to Rome. As he got down on one knee to pop the question, his pulse spiked to 131 beats a minute!
Findings also showed that 29 percent of women would turn down their partner just on the basis of the proposal itself being poor. So the choice of when, where and how to propose is essential if you expect a positive response.
A spokesperson for travel firm, SuperBreak, who commissioned the research, said: “As a company, we have seen a rise in couples taking short breaks to some of the UK and Europe’s most romantic destinations and returning engaged.
“We realize that proposing is a big decision for most people and the survey results clearly show this. After looking at the results of our research and interviewing some experts, we took the decision to create a proposal planner that will hopefully provide inspiration on when, where and how you can propose to make the event really special; from picking the perfect destination to ideas on how you can pop the question”.
The most romantic destinations for proposing to a partner have been voted as Paris, Venice and Rome, which follows the firm’s online sales trends. For those looking to propose closer to home; the Lake District was deemed most popular, with Scottish locations also being rated highly.
For some people the destination is the most important aspect of a proposal; 15 percent of Brits stating they would prefer a proposal which is slightly more unusual and unique to them.
The stats also indicate that we are a nation of romantics, with 52 percent preferring the traditional “down on one knee” proposal versus just 20 percent stating they would like an “all-singing, all-dancing” proposal.
How did you propose? How did your partner propose to you? Tell us about it in the comments below!
