Samantha Chaffin
News Editor
A trip to Paris, France, is many girls’ dream but a recent trip to Paris, Idaho, gave ISU student Rachel Munson the surprise of her life when her boyfriend proposed using a flashmob of singing high schoolers.
On Wednesday, Oct. 2, Nelson Bishop and Munson took a trip to Paris, Idaho, where, unbeknownst to Munson, a grand proposal involving the Bear Lake High School choir group would unfold.
“He told me we were meeting his brother and sister-in-law, who had just moved to Logan, [Utah], from Texas,” explained Munson. “So we were gonna be meeting them up there cause he told me [his sister-in-law] had family [in the area].”
Bishop, inspired by Munson’s love of Paris, France, spent time elaborately planning the grand proposal with the help of Bear Lake High School music director Greg Goodworth and the staff at the Paris Café.
Bishop said he knew Rachel really loved Paris.
“So when I knew that I wanted to propose to her, I knew that Paris would have to be the place,” said Bishop.
“It just felt awesome,” said Munson. “I don’t really know, I was just in so much shock. I couldn’t believe that he had done all of that just for me.”
Bishop, hoping to make the proposal special, found the nearest area high school to Paris and gave them a call. He was directed to Goodworth who helped Bishop come up with ideas and plan the details, which involved Goodworth’s choir singing “Love Story” by Taylor Swift in the Paris Café.
“Because I knew that she loved Taylor Swift so much and this song, like when we were talking about having the choir, I told them that was the song I’d want and it would be a really easy transition into proposing to her, too,” explained Bishop.
Goodworth got the outing cleared through the principal and superintendent, and with the staff of the Paris Café to help make it all possible.
“The high school kids were really excited about this idea and they all really wanted to be a part of it,” said Bishop. “In fact it turned into not just [Goodworth’s] choir, he brought his band class and some other kids who just skipped class so they could come watch, probably 40 or 50 kids.”
Munson didn’t suspect anything was going on during the trip until the choir’s rendition of “Love Story” was almost over.
“At the end of the song when he asks her, ‘Marry me Juliet,’ they said, ‘Marry me Rachel,’” explained Munson. “[The song] says, ‘He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring,’ and he knelt down and all the kids knelt down, too. Then they said, ‘Marry me, Rachel,’ and he pulled out the ring.”
“And that’s when she realized what was going on,” concluded Bishop.
Two videos of the proposal have been posted to YouTube. Together, the videos have cumulated thousands of views worldwide.
About the video going somewhat viral, Bishop said, “[We] didn’t expect it but it’s something cool. There’s actually been a lot of people, like some of the ladies I work with, there’s been a lot of people telling us they’ve just been bawling over it when they watch it. It’s kinda cool that people are affected by it that much.”
The pair have already set a wedding date for Dec. 31, 2013, in Boise.
Munson is a junior in the nursing program and Bishop is in his first year of pharmacy school at Idaho State University. Both are ASISU senators.
In addition to the coming together of two families through Bishop and Munson’s forthcoming wedding, the couple’s families now live minutes from one another.
“So, her family is from Middleton, and my parents, my dad actually just retired two months ago from the military,” said Bishop. “They were looking for houses. The one they liked best was in Middleton, so now [after having never been to the area] our parents are living like ten minutes away from each other.”
