It appeared to be a normal day inside Fort Lauderdale's W Hotel Friday. Guests shuffled in and out of the lobby as patrons enjoyed casual drinks at the bar.
That is, until one of the women at the bar broke out dancing. Seconds later, a flash mob was born, and it was all for new fiancee Jaci Leedy.
“I just wanted everybody to see it,” James Oswald said. “I wanted everyone to know that I asked her to marry me. I wanted it to be as big of a deal as possible.”
James Oswald, a Fort Lauderdale native who lives in Springfield, Ohio, brought his now-fiancee to the beach for a sunny vacation, and unbeknownst to her, a marriage proposal.
“That was pretty neat,” Leedy, the soon-to-be bride said. “It took my breath away.”
With tears in her eyes and a smile stuck on her face, Leedy was shocked at the performance that was six-months in the making.
“We’ve been planning this for months,” W Marketing Manager Leia Bosco said. “James has been diligent about calling multiple times a day. I think every member of our team has been involved. We’ve been calling the dancers, the choreographers, testing the music, doing trial runs – so it could all come together.”
Oswald found the dancers by announcing the plan on a website called Meetup.com.
Mobbing for the first time was Javeeta Mixon.
“I was so excited. I’m glad we hit our cues and were on point,” Mixon said. “I was almost to the point of tears. I was like ‘Oh my gosh, it’s them. It’s them.’”
The couple celebrated with their new friends by opening some champagne and toasting to the successful proposal.
“I just want to let everyone know that this is the one I want to be with,” Oswald said.
If you want to dance in a flash mob, visit www.meetup.com.
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Photo Credit: NBC 6 South Florida