UK couples who are publicising their engagements to the world via social media are ruining their big announcement with their poor-quality photographs and post captions, according to new research.
Amazingly, 56% of UK engagement posts on social media are unpopular amongst followers, tarnishing the engagement announcement and making a seemingly good proposal bad.
Over a fifth of the UK public claim that unpolished and tatty nails is their biggest pet hate when it comes to seeing engagement pictures on social media, affecting the chances of their fingers hitting the ‘Like’ button.
- Over half of announcement posts are unpopular for being poor
- Untidy nails are the public’s biggest gripe with engagement photos
- “Cringe-worthy” captions are also causing distress for the public
- Full findings and supporting graphics can be found here
Bragging by means of cheesy captions along the lines of “I can’t wait to marry my best friend” and “how lucky am I?”, as well as the Beyoncé-inspired, but ultimately adjudged basic: “he put a ring on it” also made for some of the traits the public find annoying.
15% of those surveyed stated that excessive wedding updates about the big day, poor photograph settings and the ring itself were some of the other main reasons for unpopular posts. Results also suggested that the public seemed more concerned about the appearance of the photo rather than the announcement itself.
The research, conducted by jewellery specialists F.Hinds, also discovered what makes for the ideal engagement photograph, however the quest for likes could come at a hefty cost for the groom to be!
Diamonds were clearly a girl’s best friend when it came down to the best photographs, as 60% of those surveyed said a good ring was not only the key to a lady’s heart, but also the key to a heap of likes.
F.Hinds has created a graphic detailing the findings as well as how to take the perfect engagement picture which can be found here.
On top of having a breath-taking diamond ring, 35% of Brits said that couples should also look to keep things basic with a simple snap of a hand selfie against a good setting. A picture could be made even better with Times Square or the Eiffel Tower in the background, ensuring of course that the bride-to-be has had a manicure to offset the issue of untidy nails.
Captions are also important, as they complement the perfect engagement photo, with the most popular captions being simple and obvious like “I said yes” or “I can’t wait to be Mrs…” with Instagram’s ‘Gingham’ filter the ideal choice for the most Insta-worthy pictures.
Aside from the more traditional posts, F.Hinds’ research also discovered more unconventional means of announcement by the millennials. With the current health craze, a significant number of couples are showing off their news in their gym gear, with rings even being displayed on their favourite healthy foods such as watermelons and avocados.
Steve Mellows, E-commerce Manager at F.Hinds, said
“Announcing engagements on social media seems to be the new way of telling family and friends the good news. For most, it’s beautiful for friends and family to hear about the exciting news, but some can see the social media posts as an annoyance.
Unsurprisingly, the main focus is the ring, but for loved ones this isn’t always the main interest. Most are happy to see their loved ones find their soulmates, even though the ring showed to be the main factor for getting post likes and comments.
The quest for the perfect picture can be quite costly – the combination of the breath-taking ring and the ideal setting can put a dent in the wedding fund, so it’s no real surprise that people don’t always have immaculate nails… maybe taking pictures with fruit is a cheaper option!
After all, a proposal is meant to be a surprise, and people will want to save the manicures and hairdos for the big day. At the end of the day, it’s the love between the happy couple which is the most important thing.”
