If you’re between the ages of 25 and 45, and reading this between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day, chances are you’ve noticed a conspicuous uptick of engagements being announced in your social feeds.
It can often seem, around the holidays, that between decorating cookies and glazing hams, everyone and their cousin (and their cousin’s cousin) is popping the question. You open up Instagram and people seem to be dropping to one knee.
If it feels like everyone you know is getting engaged RIGHT NOW: well, you’re not far off.
In recent years, wedding industry professionals have begun referring to the period between Thanksgiving and Valentine’s day as engagement season, given the surge in new proposals around the holidays. Industry professionals estimate that nearly 40% of all proposals take place in this 2.5 month span (with 20% of them taking place in December).
While the entire period is a popular time to get engaged, December takes the cake, with particular surges on Christmas Day, Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Eve — though New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day are popular as well. It makes sense: a time that’s already about family and togetherness lends itself to making a commitment to the one you love.
The practical outcome of all these engagements happening around the same time? Well, a lot of those Christmas couples will begin the New Year by trying to set dates, book venues, find planners, etc — which may create a hectic sense of competition. And it’s no mistake that wedding season, the most common time for weddings, peaks about 6 - 8 months after this surge of engagements, creating stressful overlap even for attendees.
Nonetheless, engagement season can be a beautiful time to celebrate love, commitment and family — yet another reason to celebrate during the holiday season.
Well, that all depends.
Don’t stress. Remember that, no matter what it looks like on social media, everyone is on their own path and their own timeline, so don’t let this season make you anxious about your romantic life. Just make sure to prioritize loving number one: yourself (ok, yes that was corny, but it doesn’t make it less true).
Also - feel validated that you’re not imagining things! Yes, many many (many) couples are taking the plunge, but it’s likely to die down in the coming weeks and months, so honor this wave of engagements in whatever way feels authentic to you — whether that’s sending a congratulations text, a gift, or planning an impromptu celebration. And if your feed is busy now during engagement season, you can anticipate that your calendar will be equally so during wedding season, so plan accordingly. Begin locking in dates, blocking off time at work and saving up money to ensure you’re able to make it to as many of those weddings as you wish.
Congratulations! It’s a monumental step — and we couldn’t be happier for you and your partner. Once everything’s official (and you’ve called everyone in your contacts to share the good news), be sure to get started early with planning, particularly if you hope to be married in 2023.
The flipside of this wave of holiday proposals is that many of these newly-engaged couples will begin the new year by locking down venues and vendors. While there’s no need to buy into the competitive spirit, we do encourage you to be proactive, to avoid future stress.
Wondering where to start? Here are the first five steps you and your partner should take in planning your wedding.
For now, there’s not much to do but wait. Try to stay in the moment, avoid any snooping that might ruin the surprise, and keep those hands moisturized so they’re camera-ready ;)
