Fun Engagement Facts

v  The average engagement lasts 14 months

v  3% of brides plan on signing a pre-nuptial agreement

v  The percentage of rides that change their names after getting married is 81%

v  99% of couples take a honeymoon.

v  40% of honeymooners stay at resorts

v  16% of all weddings are destination weddings.

v  An average of 44,230 weddings take place in the U.S. each weekend.

v  The median age for first time brides is 27, and for grooms 29

v  December is the most popular month for buying engagement rings and getting engaged

v  The most popular engagement ring is a round brilliant diamond.

v  The average woman’s ring size is 6. The average man’s ring size is 10.

v  GIA is the most respected diamond lab in the world and offers grading reports for diamonds under and over one carat.

v  The average diamond engagement ring costs $3,000

v  The average spent on wedding rings is $1,016

v  The average wedding costs approximately $27,000

v  A total of $72 billion is spent on weddings in the U.S. annually

v  Weddings are a $50 billion per year industry

v  The brides’ parents pay for 30% of all weddings

v  The couple pays for 32% of all weddings

v  15% of weddings are paid for by both sets of parents

v  People spend $19 billion buying presents off of gift registries

v  People spend, on average, between $70 to $100 on wedding gifts.

v  The average couple spends $3,700 on a honeymoon.

Please share with everyone your proposal story, or if you are not engaged yet, what your dream proposal scenario would be?

Below is a story from one couple on their engagement:

"I'd love to tell you my proposal story! It is so romantic and I'm now the envy of all my girlfriends.It was quite recently, actually - this past Labor Day weekend. My fiance, Shahzad, had planned a surprise weekend trip for the two of us, which didn't seem so strange because we do that sort of thing a lot. So when we started driving west from St. Louis (our hometown), I didn't know where we'd end up.

Well, we got to Kansas City and turned north, heading in the direction of Iowa. I kept saying to him; "Have you ever BEEN to Iowa? Do you realize there's nothing there but CORN?" He just smiled and told me to wait and see.

Well, a few hours later, I just couldn't stand it anymore and was begging for clues as to our destination. All he would tell me is that yes, we were going to IA and the town was famous for something from a movie. All I could think of was "Field of Dreams" and couldn't believe we were driving all day to see a baseball field!

I was wrong, of course. We checked into this adorable bed and breakfast - a big old Victorian home renovated and run by this little old woman. (Who was in on the whole thing, by the way!)

He suggested we take a drive and maybe pick up something to eat, so we hopped into the car and headed out. I couldn't believe it when he pulled up in front of the Roseman Covered Bridge! That is the one featured in the movie, "Bridges of Madison County," which just so happens to be one of my favorites!

It was an overcast day, so there wasn't anyone else on the bridge. I was reading some of the carvings that people had left on the inside of the bridge when I turned around and saw Shahzad down on one knee. He said, and I'll remember these words forever:
"Jennifer, you are the love of my life. Some people search all their lives for this type of love - others don't even think it exists. This kind of certainty comes but just once in a lifetime and I want to spend that lifetime with you. Will you marry me?"

Well, of course I said yes through my tears and disbelief. We stood there alone on that romantic bridge crying, laughing, and kissing each other until finally a curious onlooker asked if everything was alright. We laughed and explained what had just happened. He was more than happy to take our picture.

When we got back to the B&B, the caretaker had put a bottle of champagne on ice in our room with a simple "Congratulations!" note. We spent the weekend exploring Winterset, IA and got to see other locations where footage from the movie was filmed. Every little store and tavern had a story about when Hollywood came to Iowa and were eager to talk about it. We even got to visit Francesca's house which is still decorated the way it was in the movie. It's truly a lovely town and we made a promise to come back every year on our engagement anniversary.

What a romantic, huh? Shahzad just knew how much I liked that movie - he did all the research into where the town was located, where we could stay, etc. He even worked dialogue from the film into his proposal! I know I've found myself a good one! Thanks for sharing our story with us!"

Jennifer & Shahzad
St. Louis, MO