Venable Jewelers Blog

Venable Jewelers Blog
March 19th, 2014
You may have watched Christmas, New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s Day flash by with no sign of an engagement ring, but there is still hope because tomorrow is Proposal Day, a holiday specially designed to lovingly nudge your procrastinating partner into making a full-bore commitment. It’s estimated that more than 50,000 future bridegrooms will get down on bended knee and finally pop the question on March 20.

A man proposing and holding up an engagement ring

You may be surprised to learn that Proposal Day was conjured up not by a famous greeting card company, but by a gentleman named John Michael O’Loughlin, who conceived the special day in response to seeing his cousin being strung along for years by a boyfriend who wouldn’t commit.

O’Loughlin designed the holiday as a not-so-subtle reminder to those in long-term relationships that it may be time to stop hesitating and take the plunge into matrimony.

Proposal Day is not intended to be a “commit or begone” ultimatum, but more of a catalyst to start a serious conversation about where the relationship is going and the possibility of a future proposal. One recent survey revealed that 27% of women whose partners had finally popped the question had dated their future spouse for three to five years.

O’Loughlin chose March 20 for Proposal Day because it’s the vernal equinox when the day and night are equal lengths, symbolizing “the equal efforts of the two required to comprise a successful marriage.” A second Proposal Day falls six months from now on the autumnal equinox for the same reason.

Although it’s not nearly as widely recognized as Valentine’s Day, there are signs that Proposal Day is gaining traction. It’s been covered by the national news media and is creating a buzz in social media. O’Loughlin estimated that upwards of 50,000 couples would become engaged on Proposal Day.