Like true love, sometimes the things you're wishing for happen when you aren't looking.
Once Upon a Time
Proposal ideas don’t have to be hard to find. Even before the first Voilà Chocolat location opened, we anticipated that our make-your-own gourmet chocolates store would become a perfect, adorable setting for NYC marriage proposals. We reached out to jewelry stores, sent out feelers before Valentine's Day, and waited...
After an eternity (it seemed), a creative, chocolate-loving, aspiring groom arrived on the scene. An event producer, Rob, was looking for a place to propose to his girlfriend, Stacey. He realized right away that Voila Chocolat is simply one of the absolute best places to propose in NYC. The couple loved sweets ("Too much!" Rob and Stacey later said) and Rob was intrigued by Voilà Chocolat's setting and original concept, and interested to learn how we could customize chocolate to suit his proposal vision.
Founding team member and event sales contact, Elaine Boxer, was ecstatic at the chance to help Rob surprise Stacey with a truly personal, memorable proposal that she'd be telling her friends and family about for years to come. "With this request, you're making me the second happiest woman in the world!" Elaine confessed to Rob.
The Plan
Now all that was left was to set the stage and discuss proposal ideas. At first, they discussed bringing Stacey to make chocolates, ending the experience with a surprise ring box made out of fine chocolate presented by Rob. Chef Christophe Toury had made many chocolate ring boxes over his long career -- large and small, simple and elaborate. However, Rob decided he would rather pull the ring box out of his pocket -- and a hard-sided velvet box is better suited to one's pocket than fine couverture that melts at body temperature.
Elaine then suggested the ways in which the chocolates themselves could be personalized. Perhaps, they could plan a switcheroo -- Rob and Stacey could come in to Voilà Chocolat to make chocolates together, and at the moment their creations were supposed to be returned from the cooling station, a chocolatier could bring a pre-made tray with a very special message, prompting Rob to drop to one knee.
Rob liked the drama of that idea, so he ordered a custom tray of pre-made truffles topped with molded chocolate letters spelling "WILL YOU MARRY ME?" To personalize the moment even more, he ordered an extra truffle topped with a plaquette that said "I love you," and a small photo chocolate bar imprinted with Stacey's family's favorite photo of the pair -- a fun selfie of them outdoors, sharing a kiss.
Rob and Stacey also had been following and joking about the #RunningManChallenge meme that had been taking over the internet. To integrate this part of their relationship into the proposal, Rob captured the whole proposal on video without Stacey suspecting. The new plan: while their chocolates were cooling, Rob would have partner-in-crime, Elaine, subtly cue up the Running Man Challenge song, "My Boo," by Ghost Town DJs, on Voilà Chocolat's sound system as if by coincidence. He and Stacey would get up to dance to it (naturally) and ask a staff member to video it (Elaine!) and the stage would be set for the big moment.
