Calgary couple celebrate following creative virtual escape room proposal
When his original escape room proposal plans were dashed with the closure of non-essential businesses, Chad Van Dyk didn’t let it stop him from getting down on one knee in a creative way Saturday.
Van Dyk and his partner, Jenna Bell, love the excitement of escape rooms to celebrate special occasions, so he thought it would be a great setting for a marriage proposal. With businesses closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Van Dyk didn’t give up on his initial plans but did a little research.
“We could have easily done something really simple because we’ve been talking, as lots of couples do after being together for a few years, about a wedding. It felt like we had a guest list and things already planned. But the pandemic forced me to be a little bit creative,” said Van Dyk.
He found the virtual escape room site Helpusescape.com, which is one of many escape room companies making games available through live Zoom calls, and booked a game with Bell and four friends. Before game day, Van Dyk contacted the company to see if they could help him pop the question.
“When Chad got in touch, I was excited to work with him to create the perfect proposal,” said Helpusescape.com founder Daniel De Maio.
De Maio arranged a casino office robbery game so that at the culmination of the heist, when the final safe was opened, it would reveal a Lego bride and groom with his wife’s engagement ring and a message reading, “Will you marry me?” The passcode for the safe was the date the two had discussed as a wedding day.
The couple of more than three years joined the Zoom call from their home in Calgary — their friends logged on from theirs — and the team worked together to discover clues, solve puzzles and crack the code to the safe.
The safe revealed not the casino riches Bell had expected, but the scene of a Lego wedding.
Van Dyk got on one knee in their living room and proposed to Bell, who said yes.
“I know that it’s always exciting to share the news of a proposal but it’s even more exciting knowing we have a unique story and that it’s at a time when things are really tough. Special moments like this help with that,” said Van Dyk.
Thomas Parslow, founder of escape room software Buzzshot, created a directory at Livevideoescaperooms.com for businesses such as Helpusescape.com to list their online games for those isolating at home.
“This new trend is a positive way to provide support for many struggling escape room companies and much-needed entertainment — they can even provide a way to pop the question,” said Parslow.