Gen Z Is Fueling 'Quiet Proposing' Trend

Newsweek

05-05-2025

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Generation Z may be known for creating new workplace trends, but their approach to dating and marriage can also be distinctly different from their older counterparts.
While baby boomers, Gen X and millennials may have enjoyed big elaborate proposals, Gen Z looks to be more inclined to "quiet proposing," according to a new survey from Diamonds Factory.
Instead of one partner surprising the other with a flashy marriage proposal and a ring picked out without their knowledge, Diamonds Factory found more than 50 percent of all engagement ring shoppers are now accompanied by their partner in 2025.
Why It Matters
Gen Z includes those born into the years 1997 to 2012. The younger generation is bringing forth many changes to both workplace dynamics and personal relationships.
While in part due to their younger age, it is far more common for Gen Z-ers to be single, according to a survey from Coupon Birds earlier this year. Just under half, 46 percent of Gen Z was single, the survey found. That compared to 28 percent of millennials, 26 percent of Gen Xers and 22 percent of baby boomers.
What To Know
While more than half of all engagement ring shoppers are accompanied by their partner in 2025, according to the Diamonds Factory survey, this marks a stark contrast to how many couples of previous generations went about their engagements.
This shows that for many couples, the engagement and ring purchase is looked at as a mutual decision rather than a surprise.
Ring shoppers also brought their parents in 18 percent of cases, according to Diamonds Factory, and 11 percent of people brought a sibling or friend. Just 18 percent of ring shoppers came in alone.
Micaela Beltran, a Gen Z-er and the co-founder and CEO of Courtly, told Newsweek she and her husband opted for a quiet proposal to honor the authenticity of their relationship.
"We skipped the big reveal and, instead, worked with an independent designer. We ended up with a ring that feels like us. No staged moment, no surprise audience, just a shared decision," Beltran said. "The appeal is pretty simple: Gen Z is wary of anything that looks engineered for social media, and budgets are tight enough that splashing out on a dramatic scene can feel tone-deaf. Collaborating on the ring let us start the marriage the way we plan to keep it—practical, transparent, and focused on what matters to us rather than putting on a show."
Many of the younger Gen Z couples are choosing "quiet proposals" because they value communication and shared decision making over tradition.
"We went back-and-forth about the ring, what website to buy it from, how I wanted it to look etc. before I made a decision and told him what I wanted," another Gen Z-er, Hannah Macie, told Newsweek. "We did this because we had kinda already agreed we wanted to get married and we wanted to make sure I got what I wanted with the ring."
Many of the quiet proposals also reflect a more egalitarian approach to marriage, whereas other generations may have been more inclined to have the man make the ring decision.
"I think it reveals that our generation has relationships that are more of an equal power dynamic in my opinion," Macie said. "A guy picking out a ring himself then proposing without talking much to his partner about what they wanted, whether they even wanted a future together would be kind of bold and reveals a certain power dynamic, to me at least. Us talking about our future together and picking out a ring together is more of an equal power dynamic."
JoJo Fletcher shows her engagement ring at the Levi's Store Times Square on October 30, 2019, in New York City.
JoJo Fletcher shows her engagement ring at the Levi's Store Times Square on October 30, 2019, in New York City.What People Are Saying
Diamonds Factory jewelry expert Ella Citron-Thompkins said in a statement: "Quiet proposing is a new trend where engagements are kept intimate and private, without public displays or widespread announcements, focusing on a personal, low-key moment for the couple. More couples wanting to choose a ring together reflects a shift towards a more intentional, collaborative proposal process."
"Rather than rejecting romance, it shows that many modern, Gen-Z couples value communication and shared decision-making over tradition for tradition's sake. It's less about the surprise and more about ensuring the moment—and the ring—truly reflects both people involved."
Leah Levi, psychologist and dating expert at the explorationship app Flure, told Newsweek: "More and more couples feel they don't need a show to confirm their love. It is important to them that it is a shared choice, not a romantic gesture with 'surprise' elements. Couples realize they don't have to perform to express their true feelings. They took time and did not seek to make a big announcement to the world about the status change of their relationship."
What Happens Next?
Levi said the quiet proposal trend is a "sign of maturity" as Gen Z grew up amid an unstable economy.
"With student debt, rent, and financial uncertainty on their shoulders, spending money on a luxury seems a tad bit disproportionate," Levi said. "However, it's not even an issue with money, or at least not a primary one. It's that relationships are now based on honesty, equality, and managing realistic expectations. People want to be confident in themselves and the partnership, not in how creative and expensive the gesture will be."
Since Gen Z has been more critical of following outdated patterns and grew up with social media, they crave authenticity, Levi said, and the trend could only escalate moving forward.
"Gen Z sees no point in spending money and effort on something that has no real value," she added. "A quiet proposal is a statement of recognition that relationships are not a performance for others."