Winter Park, Florida natives and visitors know that no visit to Park Avenue is complete without a stop at Peterbrooke Chocolatier. The owners, Kevin and Jami Wray, keep the doors open all the time, allowing the intoxicating chocolate scent to waft across the avenue, creating a sweet, heady blend with smell of roses from across the Avenue. Step inside, and satisfy your sweet tooth with free samples of their chocolate covered popcorn. The experience is very romantic… which brings us to our local business owner story.
Jami and Kevin have played a part in many perfect marriage proposals over the years. A smart boyfriend knows that chocolate is the way to a woman’s heart, so it’s the perfect accompaniment to a diamond sparkler when popping the question! We interviewed Jami about Peterbrooke’s perfect proposals:
SB: Have you ever helped with a marriage proposal using chocolate? How did they do it?
JW: Yes, we’ve done several actually. We love these things! Chocolate high heel shoes (Shoos) are perfect for presenting an engagement ring – most women love chocolate and shoes, and I think the combination of the two makes them feel a bit like a princess. We also make custom edible logos that go inside the shoes.
SB: What’s one of the best proposals you’ve been a part of?
JW: My favorite proposal was a time a gentleman had us make a logo that included his girlfriend’s first name and his last name. Together, we planned everything out ahead of time. He took her to dinner on the Avenue, and then they went window shopping. By the time they got to our window we waved them inside as we often do with onlookers. At this time, we had a whole row of chocolate ‘Shoos’ decorated and the girlfriend (Amy) came over to look at them. When her eyes focused on the one shoe that had HER name on it, she was shocked.
At that time, the guest, Bryan, got down on his knee and proposed to her right there in our chocolate kitchen. She said yes! We have the video on our YouTube page. That was my favorite proposal, but we’ve also hidden engagement rings in boxes of chocolate covered strawberries, chocolate jewelry boxes, and assorted boxed chocolates.
It works really well because our clients can solely focus on getting the ring sorted. We’ve had clients go for a more simple ring or even an extravagant custom ring. There are so many reasons for a custom diamond ring but that’s for our clients to decide on. We get to deal with the exciting part, the set up! Its so magical seeing everything come together.
SB: Do you have any products that you think would work for a chocolate-themed marriage proposal?
JW: Yes, our chocolate high heels, chocolate jewelry boxes, chocolate dipped strawberries, diamond shaped ring molds…you name it! Or we can come up with anything that represents the couple for a truly custom and one-of-a-kind proposal.
If you’re planning on proposing this Valentine’s Day, find a way to integrate your love’s favorite things into the moment to make it extra-special!
