So you think you’ve found the one? You’ve worked hard to pick out the right ring, and you know exactly what you’re going to say when you get down on one knee and ask your significant other to spend the rest of their life with you. But where do you do it?
You want to make sure the moment is special and that they’ll remember it forever, so you need a location that’s worthy of the occasion. Well, worry not. We’ve scoured over 1 million engagement photos on Instagram to determine the most popular cities, states, and locations for the big question. We even looked at the most popular times of year for engagements (spoiler alert: they revolve around the holidays), and how people chose to share their photos. Ready to pop the question but just aren’t sure where to do it yet? Let us help guide the way.
A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words
You’ll remember the moment you got engaged for the rest of your life, and the location can be just as important for setting the tone as every other meticulously planned detail.
Our study of the top 10 locations for engagements around the world (according to Instagram posts of the occasion) found that seven of these spots were right here in the U.S.
New York City is one of the most visited places in the world, and it stole the top two spots on our list for enhanced engagement locations. The City Hall building in New York City isn’t just a beautiful place to pop the question – it can also be the ideal location to tie the knot. From the winding staircases to ornate classical architecture, New York City Hall is the oldest city hall building in the nation and seems to exude genuine romance with ease.
If being indoors isn’t your thing for the big moment, New York City’s Central Park comes in as our No. 2 spot. Regardless of the time of year, Central Park is an iconic location for any occasion and offers a seemingly infinite number of idyllic settings to help set the mood. As so many have found, Central Park lets you capture whimsy, adventure, and romance in your engagement post shots.
Though they might be unconventional, theme parks also earned two of the top 10 spots for engagement Instagram posts. Whether it’s your first time going or an annual excursion, The Mouse seems to have created a popular following for romantic spots and engagement opportunities. You can even get married in front of Cinderella’s Castle at Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida, if you’re that fond of the Disney experience. <pInternational spots in London, Paris, and Canada also made the list – good to know if you’re looking for an opportunity to make this once-in-a-lifetime moment even more special.
The Most Popular States to Pop the Question
While New York state may have won out as our most popular place to get #engaged on Instagram, it has more than just city spots to pop the big question. From cozy cottages overlooking New York’s beautiful outdoor landscapes to upstate wine country, New York has almost anything you could think of to make the moment deservingly special.
On the complete other side of the country, Hawaii came in as the second most popular state for #engaged posts. Considering its world-renowned beaches, picture-perfect sunsets, and exclusively intimate vibes, there may be few places better in the U.S. to start your happily ever after. From daytime to nighttime or anywhere in between – if you create memories like these in Hawaii, it may be hard to come back to reality at all.
Other parts of the Northeast including Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Rhode Island also made the top 10 states. There’s no limit to the romantic settings you can create in these states with rich history, shifting seasons, and picturesque backdrops. And considering they are home to some of the most romantic getaway spots, they’re bound to be perfect for an engagement weekend too.
Hot Cities for Engagement Posts
If you’re looking for specifics to help you plan the ultimate engagement experience, we narrowed down the most popular cities for #engaged posts.
Laguna Beach in sunny Southern California had almost 160 posts for every 10,000 residents in the city. From mountainous hilltops to sandy beaches, Laguna Beach has almost any backdrop you could want for your big moment.
You probably can’t go wrong with just about any spot in Hawaii, but the town of Kihei on the island of Maui had almost 120 posts for every 10,000 residents. Known as one of the sunniest parts of the island, Kihei has beautiful beaches and lush parks to pick from for your engagement experience, as well as amazing restaurants to celebrate at afterward.
South Lake Tahoe in California drew in over 110 engagement posts for every 10,000 residents. Unlike Laguna Beach, South Lake Tahoe is more likely to experience all four seasons, and can even add some snow to your big day if the proposal is timed right. A great location for any romantic getaway, South Lake Tahoe has something for everyone looking to get engaged.
Other popular engagement cities included Portland, Oregon (where things can be romantic and weird at the same time), Orlando, Florida (home to Magic Kingdom and Disney World), and Newport Beach, California (two words: gondola proposal).
Seasons of Love
Picking the right time of year to propose can be just as important as the location, or even the ring you choose. You may want warm weather or the soft hue of holiday lights adorning your background. To get that, you have to be crafty with the time of year.
Our study of over 1 million engagement posts on Instagram found that January and December were the two most popular months for couples to share their big news. Considering New Year’s Eve and Christmas are the two most popular holidays for engagements in general, it’s no wonder these winter months came out on top. <pFall months including September, October, and November were also popular times of the year for engagements. With the natural backdrop of changing leaves and slightly crisp weather, the fall months turned out to be the second most popular season for you to start your journey toward everlasting love.
THE LOVE HOUR
The exact hour that you get engaged to someone can be just as much about the moment in time as it is about the ambiance that time provides.
Capturing the moment can sometimes be a big part of pulling off the perfect engagement, and photographers have labeled the hour just after sunrise and just before sunset as the “golden hours” when it comes to natural lighting. Making sure that photos aren’t naturally over or underexposed can mean you have the perfect opportunity to preserve those memories forever.
Of course, when you take your engagement photo and when you post them are two different things. Instagram analytics show the best The most popular time for posts comes around 5 p.m., followed by the very early morning hours. Our data showed similar trends, with #engaged posts spiking between midnight and 2 a.m., followed by 5 p.m. Mid-morning hours between 8 and 10 a.m. were the least popular times for engagement posts.
PUT A FILTER ON IT
When it comes to sharing your engagement photos online, you want to make sure they look as wonderful as you feel. Picking the right filter can help convey the excitement of the moment for everyone to see.
We found that over 21 percent of engagement photos on Instagram use the Clarendon filter. Perfect for drawing the eye to the photo’s subject and making colors pop, Clarendon also does a good job picking up on shades of blue, which might help that new diamond shine even brighter for the camera.
Roughly 10 percent of #engaged photos used the Juno and Lark filters. Like Clarendon, Juno and Lark help intensify color to better convey the energy of the moment. City shots may want to consider the Juno filter, while outdoor pictures can lean on Lark to help brighten outdoor elements like water and foliage.
While not as popular, we found that Gingham, Ludwig, and Valencia were also commonly used filters to draw attention to what might just be the most important Instagram shot of your life (so far).
Filters For Instagram Likes
Engagement pictures on Instagram are popular, but the number of likes on each post seems to vary based on certain filters.
Even though we found that Clarendon and Juno were the most popular filters to use, it was the Hudson filter that drew in the most attention. Averaging over 243 likes per post, the Hudson filter adds a cool hue over images, isolating warm tones and creating a blue vignette over the picture. Great for adding depth for outside pictures, Hudson is also great for earning likes on your big news.
The Stinson filter also earned over 209 likes on average for #engagement photos. Unlike some other filters that can add clarity and contrast to photos, the Stinson filter adds a vintage, romantic feeling to photos by washing them out slightly.
Photos with the Skyline filter, photos with no filter at all, and Aden also earned over 120 likes on average when applied to engagement posts.
The First Photo of the Rest of Your Lives
Engagements are a magical opportunity, and the photos you create during that moment may stay with you for a lifetime. At the very least, they’ll help share your big news with all of your friends and family to help them feel the same joy and excitement that you do.
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