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First Comes Love Then Comes The Epic Marriage Proposal. When Did Engagements Become So Elaborate?

Marriage proposals are pretty routine at America's high-end restaurants. They can lift the mood in the entire dining room, boost tips and create lifelong customers. Unless the answer is "no," that is.
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Engagement ring laid out for a proposal.

It seems like everyone’s getting engaged these days.. or maybe the event is just getting more public. Between the ever-increasing grand marriage proposal and social media, these major life events are difficult to miss as you scroll through your Facebook or Instagram timeline.

It seems like everyone’s getting engaged these days.. or maybe the event is just getting more public. Between the ever-increasing grand marriage proposal and social media, these major life events are difficult to miss as you scroll through your Facebook or Instagram timeline. 

Recently, one man worked with an animator to edit him and his now fiancé into the Disney classic Sleeping Beauty, her favorite movie. According to Insider, the man worked with an animator for six months then rented out a theater for the couple’s friends and family. A video can be seen playing back the big moment. The proposal took the internet by storm and had people dubbing it the most elaborate proposal of all time. Back in September, one man died in an attempted underwater proposal during a vacation in Tanzania.

So when did the modern proposal become so elaborate and why? Does it add to an already enormous amount of pressure for both parties involved? How has social media played a role? And do these elaborate proposals really reflect what couples truly want in their relationship? Were you involved in an elaborate marriage proposal? Share your story and join the conversation by calling 866-893-5722. 

Guests:

Rebecca L. Davis, associate professor of history at the University of Delaware, where she focuses on marriage, sexuality and religion; research associate at the Council on Contemporary Families, which researches American families, she’s also a  producer of the Sexing History podcast; she tweets

Ellen Lamont, assistant professor of sociology at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, she’s the author of the upcoming book “The Mating Game: How Gender Still Shapes How We Date,” (Univ of California Press, 2020); she tweets

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