An Engagement to Remember

Danielle Sonnenberg

	Will You Be Mine?

Editor's Note: As a special feature for February, TheStreet.com offers a five-part series on Valentine's Day designed to help you find the perfect gift.

A man in Austria rides into an office on an elephant. Has he lost his mind?

No, he's just going to propose to his girlfriend, who has a fascination with elephants.

And only Steve Sims, president of the Palm Beach, Fla.-based high-end service Bluefish Concierge, could concoct such an elaborate proposal -- which, incidentally, did require a donation to the local zoo.

Not surprisingly, the woman said yes, and the couple rode off happily into the sunset (or at least, out of the office) astride the majestic creature -- truly an engagement to remember.

As Valentine's Day rapidly approaches, in order to ensure a similar positive result, many men and women are looking for creative ways to ask their beloveds to spend the rest of their lives together.

Even if you're not an animal person, there's plenty of other outrageous ways to surprise (and succeed with) your loved one.

For a thespian-loving couple, Sims designed an intricate plan to rent out a small London theater and alter the script of a show they loved, a half hour into the performance.

In the middle of the show, the actors started ad-libbing, much to the girlfriend's dismay -- until her boyfriend then went on stage and proposed.

For Sims, who has countless contacts, the process was easy.

He simply contacted the theater, set up a date on which they weren't doing a matinee and, to cover the production costs, had his client buy out all the seats.

Additionally, to enhance the plan, the "audience" was composed of family members and friends -- decked out in stage makeup and costumes so the girlfriend wouldn't become suspicious.

Needless to say, she was completely taken by surprise, and the proposal was a wild success.

Sims, 40, originally from Ireland, previously worked at a foreign bank and made several contacts while entertaining foreign clients -- all of which have served him well in his new concierge business.

Over the Top

Bluefish has a reputation for planning unusual, even wild proposals, and judging from its client base, there is clearly a need for its services.

The company is rapidly expanding around the world to spots in London, New York, Japan, Russia and Dubai.

"We specialize in making your hopes and fantasies come true; we are basically the modern-day Fantasy Island," says Sims, a burly man with an eyebrow ring and goatee -- not your typical CEO.

Besides unique wedding proposals, his company creates once-in-a-lifetime experiences such as riding a fighter jet, going on an African safari or taking a private tour of the Titanic.

To view Danielle Sonneberg's video interview for today's Top 1% segment, click here.

To view Brittany Umar's video on finding the perfect engagement ring, click here.

"We believe the wedding proposal should be more spectacular than the wedding," says Sims.

As he points out, "You know when you're going to get married, but nine times out of 10 you don't know when you will get proposed to."

"When people come to us, they tell us their stories, and we help them come up with a plan. We'll suggest a few things, and almost 100% of the time, they will say [go for it. Then] we'll design something and execute it," says Sims.

Price can be a significant factor in forming your ideal proposal.

"However, when someone has a passion to go to an extreme, the price tag is usually not a question," Sims continues. The theater proposal, for example, cost a whopping $65,000.

At Bluefish, if you have to ask about the price, you are going to shop around, so clients not ready to spend should look elsewhere.

Proposing a Winner

Many men choose a variation on the classic white-knight proposal, which is relatively inexpensive ($500). Sims, however, warns against it.

"Most of the time the guy hasn't ridden on a horse in his life, and you've also added 400 pounds of armor. He's opening himself up for ridicule," Sims explains. "I've never seen anybody get on [the horse] looking like he knew what was doing."

"Everyone likes [proposing] in front of people," Sims adds, who chalks it up to showmanship and doesn't believe it's arrogant, because the person is putting his or her emotions out there for the world to see.

And don't think it's just the men going to great lengths to propose -- a woman once rented out the entire Wembley stadium in London just to ask her beau to marry her. Her fiance "thought it was the most amazing place in the planet," says Sims.

Lord of the Ring

Once a client settles on a proposal, the process continues with picking out the perfect engagement ring.

	Sealing the Deal

Sims can even customize this experience with his many contacts at high-end jewelers, such as Harry Winston, Asprey and Tiffany. "If your partner loves snakes, butterflies or puppies, the ring can be engraved or created in that shape."

"Every single part of the experience needs to be perfect," Sims says optimistically. He gives his wife credit for making him such a hopeless romantic.

So when it comes time to propose, find a concierge service or take the extra time and effort and create a truly unique proposal yourself.

You'll not only sweep your partner off his or her feet, but you should be certain to hear the response you're hoping for.

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