A study revealed which department was the most romantic for proposing to. Far from the clichés, discover the perfect engagement location, the one that provides the ideal conditions for getting down on one knee and getting a “Yes!” without fail.
Ask the famous question “Will you marry me”, offer an engagement ring… The marriage proposal is a unique event, often planned months in advance, and the memory of which remains forever engraved in the history of a couple. If the trend of intimate requests, comfortably installed at home, attracts more and more future brides and grooms, many are still looking for the absolute setting to create the “wow” effect. We then dream of a flamboyant sunset in front of a breathtaking panorama, of a highly symbolic date or of a slightly isolated table in the setting of a beautiful restaurant. In short, we seek perfection.
For many future newlyweds, the ideal takes shape in summer, during a romantic getaway or a summer vacation. However, you don’t need to fly to the Maldives or treat yourself to an expensive weekend in Venice to find the perfect setting. A study carried out by the Aladinia platform, specializing in the experiences to offer, looked at the French departments in order to “scientifically” determine which one is the most conducive to getting down on one knee. To elect the champion of romance, several criteria were scrutinized: the number of weddings celebrated per 100,000 inhabitants, the annual sunshine rate, the volume of precipitation, the density of romantic restaurants, and finally the number of experiences and idyllic places (such as castles, viewpoints or vineyards for example).
And it is Aude, nestled in the heart of the Occitanie region, which takes first place on the podium with an almost perfect score of 9.42/10. The department literally breathes love with a marriage rate well above the national average (1,645.38 marriages per 100,000 inhabitants). As for the sky, Aude has good points for outdoor use: 2,312 hours of sunshine and only 552 mm of rain per year, enough to avoid the stress of an unexpected downpour. The department also doubles the French average in terms of exceptional dinners with 61.62 romantic restaurants per 100,000 inhabitants. But its real strong point lies in the richness of its landscapes: between the Cathar citadels, the hilly vineyards and the wild panoramas over the Mediterranean, the film sets are legion.
Just behind, we find Corsica-du-Sud (9.28/10), driven by its heavenly coves and sunny rooftops, followed by the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (9.19/10), a real El Dorado for lovers of spectacular nature. Then come Vaucluse, Hautes-Alpes, Gers, Drôme tied with Haute-Corse, and finally Dordogne. It is the Var which closes the Top 10, proving that the Côte d’Azur still attracts couples with the beauty of its landscapes. Furthermore, the capital does not appear in this ranking, despite its image as a “city of love” which persists internationally.
Conversely, certain territories seem a little shunned by Cupid and lend themselves less to a fairy tale request. This is the case of Finistère, which brings up the rear with a score of 4.76/10… The Breton department has unfortunately not succeeded in defying the clichés, weighed down by capricious weather (1,158 mm of annual precipitation) and a more limited offer of romantic infrastructures. Generally speaking, Brittany and the center of France are not popular for official engagements: Eure-et-Loir (5.22/10), Cher (5.27/10) or Mayenne (5.28/10) stagnate at the bottom of the ranking, just like Seine-Saint-Denis (5.45/10), whose urban environment offers fewer bucolic escapes.
But beyond the figures, this ranking reminds us that a successful request is based above all on the serenity of the moment. Choosing a sunny department certainly reduces the risk factor, but don’t forget that the most important thing remains the element of surprise (or not) and especially personalization. If your story was built in the Breton rain or in the discreet charm of the Centre-Val de Loire, go for it! A symbolic moment or place will be well worth all the southern sun.
