Blue Nile Kicks Off Engagement Season And Cyber Monday With First Live Proposal At NASDAQ

Perry Whan and Michaela Maloney, Winners of Blue Nile's "Ring It. Sing It." Online Contest, Engaged Live as Part of Cyber Monday Kick-Off Event During Opening Bell Ceremonies at NASDAQ

Couple Treated to Special, Live Performances From Universal Recording Artist and Actress Katharine McPhee and Green River Ordinance's Josh Jenkins and Joshua Wilkerson

SEATTLE, Nov. 29, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, November 29, is not only Cyber Monday, but the kickoff to the peak engagement season - the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas which has historically accounted for approximately 20 percent of annual engagements. And while a few celebrity couples like Prince William and Kate Middleton, Jessica Simpson and Eric Johnson, and Vanessa Manillo and Nick Lachey got a bit of a head-start on the action, Blue Nile, Inc. (Nasdaq:NILE), the leading online retailer of diamonds and fine jewelry, helped Indianapolis couple Perry Whan and Michaela Maloney celebrate their love right on time with a first-of-its-kind live engagement at NASDAQ in Times Square. In addition, Blue Nile Chief Executive Officer Diane Irvine rang the opening bell, signaling the official start of the online holiday shopping season.

"We are excited and honored to begin the engagement season by being part of the proposal of this wonderful couple," said Blue Nile Chief Executive Officer Diane Irvine. "Our business is all about bringing people together. The public declaration of love between Perry and Michaela seems an especially appropriate way of celebrating this most wonderful time of the year."

Earlier this month, Blue Nile launched the online engagement contest "Ring It. Sing It." which offered couples considering engagement the opportunity to win a Blue Nile diamond engagement ring, an all-expense paid trip to New York, and the chance to have the ultimate engagement experience - a live proposal at NASDAQ in Times Square with an exclusive holiday performance from Universal recording artist and actress Katharine McPhee and an acoustic performance from Josh Jenkins and Joshua Wilkerson of the pop-rock band Green River Ordinance (GRO).

Whan's photo essay describing why he loves girlfriend Michaela was selected as the winning entry by a distinguished panel of judges including McPhee, GRO, Sharon Feder Hirsch from Mashable, Abby Larson from Style Me Pretty, and representatives from Blue Nile. With the help of Blue Nile and NASDAQ, Whan pulled off the surprise engagement by convincing his new fiancee Michaela that he had won a trip to New York through his business school to job-shadow at NASDAQ for a day.