I just found an interesting article from a news agency in Wales that surveys women about what they’re looking for in a man. Clearly they’re not that different from American women, or most women for that matter. Here are some of the stats:

76% of women had their hearts broken at least once.

The three best things about being in a relationship are security, companionship and affection.

65% of the women think they’re the ones who make the most effort in the relationship.

37% have been brought flowers by their man.

63% have had a one-night stand.

34% want a church wedding, with only 6% imagining something like eloping to Las Vegas or taking a hot air balloon to paradise. (If they do decide to elope to Vegas or have their wedding there, they’ll be thrilled to know that Las Vegas wedding favors have come a long way! They’re functional and fun!) The others prefer a hotel, a castle or a destination wedding.

Ideal Names

Here’s what I found really fun about this survey. It provides a list of 1) the ideal man’s name, 2) the ideal man’s job, 3) the top pet names for him and for her. I know you’re dying to see what they are, so here goes:

The ideal man’s name (for women in Wales, of course) is James, followed by Daniel (Dan,) Ben, Matt, Mark, Chris, Jack, David, Josh and John. How many of these women wind up with a Percy or a Dexter is unknown…

His job, if he knows what’s good for him, is either fireman, footballer (that’s a soccer player,) lawyer, doctor, actor, TV producer, banker, vet, accountant or teacher (and clearly, teachers must  be much better paid in Wales than they are in the states.)

Pet names for him (and here’s where the fun really begins!)–baby or babe, honeybun, tiger, sexy bum, deaf ears (don’t ask me, I don’t get it either,) misery guts (see the previous comment,) sausage, snuggle pops, hot rod and dimples.

And she would like to have him call her–princess, baby or babe, angel, boo, honey bunny, doll, sexy bum, snuggles, peaches or munchkin. I wonder why “deaf ears” and “misery guts” didn’t make it into this top 10. But it’s no surprise to me that “princess” is the number-one pet name. Even here, we like to think of ourselves as princesses. We plan fairy-tale weddings when we ride up to a magnificent castle in a beautiful coach to marry our Prince Charming.

I’d love to hear from my American girls. What’s his name, ladies, and what does he do for a living? More important, what do you want to call each other? (If “misery guts” makes the top 10, I’ll eat my computer.)

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    Buy him an engagement watch.

    Get down on one knee!

    Declare your love and ask him,

    “Will you marry me?”

So, Ladies? Did Valentine’s Day pass without your longtime love popping the question? Take heart! Thanks to St. Bridget nagging St. Patrick in the 5th century about women having to wait so long for a man to propose, you have one day every four years to do the man you love the biggest wedding favor of his life? Yes, indeed! Every February 29, you have the right–nay, the duty!–to ask the procrastinator you adore if you can make him the happiest man on earth. Check the calendar, girls. February 29th is eleven days away. Time to plan how to pin down that man!

St. Patrick–What a Guy! 

OK. So it’s 2008, and evolved, confident women have been proposing to men whenever they felt like it. But there was a time when rules of courtship were fairly strict, and traditionally women were only allowed to ask the big question on that one day every four years. Before that, I guess women couldn’t even ask at all, which apparently led St. Bridget to bug St. Patrick enough that he eased the restriction. In what was clearly an outpouring of generosity on his part, women would now have 24 hours every four years to legally request the hand of her honey. The first documentation of this law dates back to 1288, when Scotland passed a law allowing women to propose to the man of their choice in that year. And get this! They also made a law that any man who declined a proposal in a leap year had to pay a fine. Before you start writing your congressman with this idea–the fine could range from a kiss to payment for a silk dress or a pair of gloves. I guess back then a pair of gloves might cost a year’s salary, but a kiss? Come on, now! What woman would accept a kiss from a man who just, in essence, told her she sucks?

The US Version

In America, the tradition is alive and well–February 29th is known as Sadie Hawkins Day, when women have the right to run after unmarried men to propose. Of course, it makes you look less insane if you have a guy picked out and thoroughly evaluated rather than scouring the streets looking for empty ring fingers to slap on an engagement ring.  Whatever your strategy this February 29th, I wish you luck!

You made the ask and he said, “Yes!”

So go and buy that wedding dress.

And who freed your “proposal” clog?

                                                                                  Just thank MyWeddingFavors blog!

                                                                                  We’re here for you 24/seven!

As part of a very unusual experiment called “The Week The Women Went”, the women of a small Canadian town called Hardisty near Alberta decided to simply pick up and leave their husbands and children alone by themselves for a week. The husbands had to manage everything from the meals, housework, cleaning up, getting the kids to and fro, putting them to bed and the entire enchilada.For most reading this, your response may be “So what. I do that every day.” And that’s exactly what the study was set to find out. In Canada, over 70% of the households are run by women and most of which also had full time jobs. The study, which was caught on film, was going to find out if, A) the men could handle such a daunting task and B) if there would be an increased appreciation for what the women must do every day that they feel is being taken for granted.

One of the women named Kelly Weatherly stated “It will be a disaster, a complete disaster.” Others such as Heather Mills stated, “I don’t even know if he’s had them for a whole day.” Miller’s husband simply replied, “Two people to take care of, both under the age of five, how hard can it be?” And then there was the negative side of the coin where viewers like Andrew were annoyed by the mere premise of the show stating, “What a misandric (man hating) idea for show. What is wrong with Canadian society that we need to continuously promote how important women are to society at the expense of men?”

Not to spoil the outcome, but to the women’s chagrin, the result wasn’t what they hoped. The men faired very well with only minor speed bumps. One of the participants, the town Administrator and father of three named Tony Kulbisky stated, “It wasn’t that much of an ordeal. We just pre-planned everything, or tried to be as organized as we could be.”

There was a silver lining though as one man who refused to marry his girlfriend of 10 years even after the couple had 3 children together decided to plan a surprise wedding as a result of the time apart. The study will be aired on TV on a yet to be named network and viewers will need to tune in to see how the wedding went along with the antics of “The Week The Women Went” because it wasn’t all smooth. There are some very hilarious and entertaining moments that will be sure to have women and men alike murmuring, “He did not just do that.”

Meanwhile, we at My Wedding Favors will be here to celebrate all weddings from fairy tale to elegant to themed events. So husbands to be, show your respect for your lovely lady and tell her about My Wedding Favors to help do your part in planning your big day.

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