Engagement Rings - Will Royal Wedding Bells Spur on Bashfull Knights?

Engagement Rings - Will Royal Wedding Bells Spur on Bashful Knights to their Own Engagements?

It’s been a long awaited event. The charming prince, his attractive and accomplished paramour…but will the glamorous event and global media coverage trigger a number of other weddings as couples decide to take the ‘traditional ‘ route again? Sales for diamond engagement rings have yet to spike, but could that just mean there are a number of bashful would be ‘princes-in-waiting’? Historically, the number of weddings have not increased in a ‘significant royal wedding’ year, but this year, it appears the rate has dropped substantially.

Just 21.3 out of every 1,000 males aged 16 plus were married in 2009, down from a rate of 22.0 in 2008, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

The proportion of women aged 16 plus who were married fell from 19.9 in 2008 to 19.2 in 2009. Part of the reason given is the number of so called ‘sham ‘weddings to assist non citizens to stay in the UK, but other factors include couples marrying later, or ‘blended’ families getting together without a formal ceremony. The presentation of diamond engagement rings as a sign of betrothal is still strongly entrenched however, with more than 75% of men regarding ‘the rock’ as a crucial part of a proposal.