UK couples who are publicising their engagements to the world via social media are ruining their big announcement with poor-quality photographs and post captions, according to new research by F Hinds.
Some 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 are their biggest pet hate when it comes to seeing engagement pictures on social media, affecting the chances of their hitting the ‘Like’ button.
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: “he put a ring on it” also made for some of the traits the public find annoying.
Some 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.
When it came to the social media posts that were looked upon more favourably, 60% of those surveyed said a good ring was the key to attracting more likes.
As well as that, 35% of Brits asked said that couples should also look to keep things basic with a simple snap of a hand selfie against a good setting such as New York’s Times Square or the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Captions were also deemed important, with the most popular captions being simple and obvious such as “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 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.”
He added: “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.”
