They say if you love your job, you’ll never work a day in your life.
But what if your job literally is love? Robina Woods young entrepreneur Samantha Davies started her dream job in the romance business, Unforgettable Proposals, five years ago. In the beginning, it was a part-time gig born out of Samantha – a hopeless romantic crossed with an innovative businesswoman – seeing a gap in the market for local would-be fiancées; blokes who need a little help pulling together the perfect wedding proposal.
In the last couple of years things have really lifted off for Samantha. She’s now working across six wedding proposals a week and employs a team of five planners in Australia and Bali, with plans to move into the New Zealand market.
Through Unforgettable Proposals, Samantha can provide the most basic service to give guys a gentle nudge in the right direction, or alternatively she can become the architect of a completely custom, extravagant experience based on a couple’s unique love story.
“We pull together everything from a small and intimate picnic on the beach to hiring a private rooftop with a trio band, a chef, thousands of roses and a beautifully-styled private setting surrounded by hundreds of candles,” she says.
“Our packages start at $550 for a basic picnic with champagne and nibbles up to budgets of $30,000 – and that gets you premium Dom Perignon champagne, luxury accommodation and a private proposal venue with all the trimmings.”
Nowadays, Samantha mainly spends her time on high-end, boutique wedding proposals for wealthy businessmen visiting the Gold Coast from Sydney and Melbourne, as well as China, Malaysia, Singapore and the Arabian Peninsula.
She also spends a lot of time marketing and growing the business, as well as developing side projects that align with wedding proposals; her own jewellery line being one of them.
A former Varsity College student who moved to the Gold Coast when she was 14 years old, Samantha first came up with the idea for Unforgettable Proposals when she was at university, working in the sales office at Palazzo Versace in Main Beach.
“I discovered there was a niche providing this service for men that no one else was tapping into,” says Samantha, the winner of the Aspiring Young Businesswoman of the Year Awards in 2016.
“I noticed there were all these guests staying at the hotel who wanted to propose, but they were from out of town and had no idea how to go about it.
“They were asking me things like, ‘I really want to propose to my partner – can you set up my room, book a romantic experience and recommend a private beach for me?’ So I started doing those really simple things as well as leaving rose petals on the bed – and that’s where it all started.”
Then a holiday to New York and a chance encounter with a stranger was the catalyst to turn an idea into a reality for Samantha.
“I was on holidays in New York and saw this amazing flash mob event being staged in the middle of Central Park with a band, choreography, photographers and videographers. I asked the event manager what was going on and she told me she planned wedding proposals for guys,” she says.
“I was just so intrigued. I remember leaving that event thinking it was just so cool and what an awesome business idea. And it was on that flight home to Australia that I pulled together the concept and business plan to provide the same service to guys in Australia.”
A common misconception is that Samantha’s clients are lacking skills in the romance department, or are just plain hopeless. But she says that couldn’t be further from the truth.
“It’s not that guys aren’t romantics – they absolutely are,” she says.
“They always want to do something romantic, but often just don’t know how to go about the romantic flourishes with props and the logistics – like finding a secluded private beach or lookout – especially if they are from out of town.
“Often these guys don’t have anyone to talk to either – they can’t reach out to the girl’s best friend because she might spill the beans and it’s a big deal to keep it a secret. We find when guys are planning proposals themselves, the women can pick up on their stress levels and be like, ‘what’s going on?!’
“A lot of our clients are busy professionals as well, and they just don’t have the time to pull it all together.”
A question Samantha gets asked all the time is, ‘do you have a partner of your own, and if so, how would he propose to the girl who’s seen it all before?’
“I always laugh when I get asked this question – yes, I do have a partner,” she says, chuckling.
“We haven’t really thought about getting married too much – we’re both quite young. It’s only early days, but when the timing is right, I think he would want to do it himself.
I’ve told him if you are going to propose, don’t be competing with me, because you probably won’t win,” she jokes.
“I’ve told him he’s probably better off just doing something nice and low key – maybe overseas in a place I haven’t been to before.
“I’ve worked on almost 600 wedding proposals, so I’ve pretty much seen every scenario possible. To be honest, I think I’d just prefer a proposal that’s intimate and personal – it wouldn’t need to be over the top.”
Find Out More
Visit Unforgettable Proposals on Facebook and Instagram.
Or to discuss how you can make your proposal to that special someone a day to remember, call Samantha on 0427 939 150.
