Women up and down the country may be secretly hoping that tonight will be the night when their loved one pops the question, and slips something suitably sparkly onto their finger.
Apparently, you have a better chance if you’re in your thirties. The most recent Office for National Statistics report on marriages shows that the average age of getting married for women is 33, while for men it is 36.
Of course, many women are now involved in the choice of ring after the decision to tie the knot has taken place. (According to this infographic by Libertons, half of women prefer to choose the ring with their fiancé.)
A growing trend we have noted at Assetsure amongst couples who have decided to become engaged, is to commission a bespoke ring design, often inputting their own ideas into the design to make it more ‘personal and special’. The selection of who makes the ring is an important part of this, as is the couple’s desire to return to the same jeweller for a replacement if the ring is lost or stolen – something which not all insurance policies will allow.
However, there are still a significant number of people who take a more traditional approach, with many of our insurance enquiries coming from men who have already bought the ring and want to make sure it’s covered before they surprise their partner with it. (Which, if you saw what happened to this couple in San Diego last week, is certainly wise.)
Where the man buys the ring in the hope of a positive response when he pops the question, sometimes the purchase of the ring is made up to two months in advance, without any firm plan of where or when they will go down on one knee. It’s a case of watching and waiting for the right moment to present itself.
Proposing while on a foreign holiday remains a popular choice. This often involves detailed planning, such as getting a family member to bring along the ring separately or making sure the hotel has a separate safe to the one in the room, so that the ring can be stored safely until the special moment arrives.
Aside from the sentimental value, with the average engagement ring now valued at £5,250 (based on insurance values over the past 12 months), it’s certainly worth making sure that the ring has adequate insurance cover until it’s safely handed over, and beyond.
