I know this may sound twee and awfully Elle Woods (of Legally Blonde fame) but humour me for a moment, if you were to imagine your ideal wedding proposal – how would it go?
Would your partner go down on bended knee? Would he/she choose the ring for you? Would it be a diamond ring? Would he/she ask for your father’s permission?
If you stopped at that last one and your inner feminist is enraged at the very idea of asking a bloke asking your father for permission in 2014, then you might be surprised to learn this retro trend is making a comeback. And in a very big way.
According to a new survey, seven out of 10 women want the traditional fairytale proposal, including their groom-to-be asking their father for permission first.
Up until now, grooms-to-be were pretty regularly forgoing the awkward father-in-law conversation, in favour of proposing spontaneously. If the father was offended, it was a too bad, too sad situation. Or one that was laughed off over an awkward beer in the garage/shed/pub.
But now, much to the confusion of proposers everywhere, it seems that brides-to-be are throwing back to traditional ways.
According to the Mail Online, of the 2,000 women polled, “a surprising number still believe their future husband should ask their father for permission to wed.”
And its younger women who want to adhere to the traditional formalities. More than a third (36 per cent) of 18 to 24s want their father to give their permission.
Which is odd considering not only does Dad rarely get a say in who his daughter marries, but most of us are moving in with our partners before marriage.