But is proposing old hat? Today is leap day, when women are encouraged to propose to their male partners. But with marriage rates falling across the world, many fear the ship has sailed.
Leap of love: the day women pop the question
I do? : Amy Adams proposes to Matthew Goode in the 2010 romantic comedy Leap Year. Glossary
Gregorian - It is named after Pope Gregory XIII, who introduced it in 1582.
Superstitions - Belief or practices that are not entirely based on facts or reality.
Lavish - Spending more money than is reasonable.
Custom - A tradition or regular way of doing things.
Stodgy - Dull and boring.
Dowry - A payment made by the bride's family to the groom's family.
Patriarchy - A system of society where men hold power and women are excluded.
Paradigm - A typical example of something, often used as a model.
Jane Austen - An English novelist most famous for writing Pride and Prejudice.
Archaic - Very old or old-fashioned.