Will you marry me? The art of the proposal and these four simple words have been changing lives forever.
Mike Bloomberg, a TCU graduate with a master’s degree in liberal arts, has taken this delicate ritual of love and turned it into a profitable business with many satisfied customers.
Bloomberg, who graduated in 1999, owns and runs his own business, An Exclusive Engagement. Bloomberg offers his services, creativity and connections to customers who are planning to pop the question.
“The main goal is to create the moment that each person will remember forever,” Bloomberg said. “It’s something that they will hopefully want to share with grandchildren someday.”
Bloomberg, along with a panel of other Metroplex business owners, such as Stanley Eisenman of Eisenman Shoes, spoke to the design, merchandising, and textiles department entrepreneurship class Thursday. The speakers shared their experiences and answered questions about running a business. The concept of the whole project, Bloomberg said, came when he helped plan a friend’s proposal a few years ago.
“I just thought why not make this a career; it’s something that I love to help people with,” Bloomberg said. “The proposal is an important element to a marriage and it should be unique and memorable.”
Included in Bloomberg’s proposal services, are one-on-one meetings with this “marriage proposal guy” himself. During the sessions the client and Bloomberg brainstorm for ideas on the perfect proposal.
“I have guys come to me with some sort of an idea, and then I have those that are totally lost, so we usually work together to come up with something I know she will like,” Bloomberg said. “If I have a guy come to me about his proposal I know he really cares about this woman. I have even had some tear up when they are talking about their girlfriend. I think this is a really important moment in both of their lives,” he said.
After the brainstorming sessions, Bloomberg presents the ideas to the Exclusive Engagement Chick Tank. The Chick Tank is made up of women in the Metroplex area that listen to the mens’ suggestions and give feedback.
“These women really help give the perspective that the client and I need to hear, after all, it is her moment, and who would know better how the perfect proposal should be than another woman,” Bloomberg said. “Besides, don’t they know everything?”
After the Chick Tank reviews the ideas, the process starts with the arrangements of the perfect moment. Bloomberg has connections with hotels, restaurants and jewelers across the nation that help any client’s vision come true.
An upcoming Exclusive Engagement proposal will be occurring in October in Washington D.C., Bloomberg said. “My client came to me and told me he and his girlfriend were going to D.C. in October, and she thinks it is all for business, so we just went off of that,” Bloomberg said.
The client, who has requested not to be named, said the couple plans on visiting the Smithsonian Museum while on the trip.
“I thought this was a great chance to ask her,” Bloomberg’s client said. “We are going to go see the Hope diamond, and I plan on making a few jokes about it, like if she would ever want something like that. Then I am going to ask her if one on her finger will work for now.”
After the proposal, Bloomberg said he will have exclusive dinner reservations waiting for the couple and their friends. He also said he is working with the hotel concierge to complete the room with candles, rose petals and champagne when they return later that evening.
“I just hope she says yes,” the client said. “It is going to be a total surprise.”
After the panel, students had mixed emotions about their significant other going to a marriage proposal consultant before popping the question.
Jen Barton, a fashion merchandising major, said she would not want her boyfriend to set up a meeting with Bloomberg because she thinks it is more special if it was done on his own.
On the other end of the gender spectrum, William Goodrich, a fashion merchandising major, said he really liked the idea of Bloomberg’s business.
“It’s cool that he has the Chick Tank; it’s always better to have a woman’s perspective on something,” Goodrich said.
Goodrich went on to say that whenever he has a question about a date or a girl, he always goes to his group of girl friends for an answer.
“They always know all about dating. I think that Bloomberg really got something right when he decided to ask the ladies,” Goodrich said.
Bloomberg said: “My business is all about the person being proposed to. She is the most important element to the process, and I don’t even get to meet her. But I know my work with her boyfriend will be something that will make them both happy.