Leaked emails show the couple pitched the social media spectacle to potential advertisers. Photo / Instagram.
A fashion influencer at the center of a viral proposal that has been documented on Instagram has been accused of staging the entire ordeal - after images of a pitch deck outlining the plans for the proposal surfaced online.
New Yorker Marissa Casey Fuchs, 30, has been sharing the details of a scavenger hunt that her boyfriend, Gabriel Grossman, also 30, has sent her on with her Instagram followers.
The journey, so far, has seen her being gifted items, including clothing and several pieces of expensive jewellery, as well as being taken to Montauk and Miami, with the next leg of the trip scheduled for Paris.
However, since images of a deck outlining a full itinerary and an invitation for brands to "align" with the proposal surfaced, social media users following the lavish undertaking have accused the couple of staging it all.
Images of the plans for the extravagant proposal show that each aspect, down to the moment Grossman plans on proposing to Fuchs, who goes by the username @fashionambitionist on Instagram, have been planned precisely.
One slide in the pitch deck reads: "This summer, Marissa of @FashionAmbitionist will be pulled into a surprise created by the center of her life, Gabriel."
"He will remotely ask her to take an unexpected and sentimental journey to him, a journey that will encompassing [sic] many familiar stops along the way that offer their own unique gifts."
The deck includes a background of the couple's relationship history, a full itinerary of activities set out as part of the proposal, as well as information about Fuch's Instagram account and her work as a fashion influencer.
It also includes a slide titled "journey to marriage", which invites brands to sponsor the proposal.
"We're pleased to offer your brand the opportunity to align with this momentous occasion and the beautiful cities she will be visiting along the way," the slide reads.
Other slides in the deck include a timeline of each event included in the plan and the exact time it is scheduled to take place.
A source close to the bride-to-be told the Daily Mail that friends of the couple sent the deck to brands. However, the source did not comment on whether or not Fuchs had input into its creation.
View this post on Instagram“Champagne Wishes & Caviar Dreams” My best friends wedding 💕 #ZankfullyEvans
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Since the deck was seen online, many of the fashion influencer's followers have accused the proposal of being a clever "marketing" stunt.
One Instagram user commented on a photo Fuchs shared on Thursday, saying: "Everyone who thinks this is real is a total ditz. This is staged as f**k. Good marketing strategy tho."
The photo shows Fuchs posing in a white dress worn Wednesday evening in Miami, where she dined with friends and family at Prime112.
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Her caption on the image read: "STILL NO RING!!! Was completely shocked when I walked into Prime112 and Gabe's family was NOT there and mine too!!!!"
"Prime112 is Gabe's family's favorite restaurant, last time we were in Miami we ate at EVERY Prime restaurant. Instead the room was filled with my closest friends from UF," she added.
One user commented on the post, writing: "Oh man maybe you should look at the pitch deck to see what time the next sponsored event in this engagement is!"
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"Why are you lying about everything? Your pitch deck is on Twitter," a third user said.
One man said: "If anyone wants to know what will happen next on this fake journey for sponsored posts, they made a pitch deck to sell to all the brands that outlines the entire "journey". Give it a google, this is all fake and #sponsored."
Others pointed out that if Fuchs had received payment for the inclusion of some brands in her photos and videos, she could be at risk of violating the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Endorsement Guidelines as she didn't include #ad or #sponsored in any posts.
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The FTC's Endorsement Guides state that if there is a "material connection" between an endorser and the marketer of a product - in other words, a connection that might affect the weight or credibility that consumers give the endorsement - that connection should be clearly and conspicuously disclosed, unless the connection is already clear from the context of the communication containing the endorsement.
However, it remains unclear whether either of the pair were successful in receiving sponsorship from brands for the proposal.
"I'm crossing my fingers these are all organic and you didn't receive payment from sponsors. Otherwise, all these content are not FTC-compliant. They're not properly labelled as #ad #sponsored," one user wrote.
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Another said: "Wow sure hope all of these posts are FTC compliant otherwise she'd be in deep doodoo. #ad #sponsored."
Fuch's friend, Elicia Blaine Evans, addressed the accusations that the proposal was staged by the couple on Marissa's Instagram stories on Thursday.
She said: "We found out that this deck that I created with Jaclyn and Ali and Gabe and Staci is circulating.
View this post on InstagramWHAT IS HAPPENING?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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"That was supposed to be a logistical plan, but the world has found out, so I am stealing Marissa's phone for the next god knows how long. We're going to get through this. Bye!"
Elicia added: "And the best part about this entire deck that is circulating is that it's not even how it ends. Oh well."
Although Fuchs is yet to comment on the accusations, she admitted she was feeling "really, really, really overwhelmed" in her Instagram stories on Thursday afternoon.
The New York City-based fashion influencer and Goop employee was sent on a luxury scavenger hunt by her boyfriend on Tuesday.
Fuch shared a video to her 150,000 followers on Tuesday, June 18, which showed her partner discussing an adventure he had planned for the blogger in the lead up to his proposal to her.
In the clip, the Morgan Stanley VP tells Fuch he has a special mission for her before he pops the big question, as he said: "we're not really into traditional weddings".
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Since sharing the video, Marissa has embarked on her adventure to find her fiance-to-be, sharing each leg of the journey online.
One of the first clips shared to her Instagram story, which was filmed by one of her friends who joined her to document the experience, sees Marissa watching the video Gabriel, who works as a vice president for Morgan Stanley, filmed.
He says: "Marissa, I love you so much. You're the most important person in the world to me. Even more important than Juney.
"Which is why I have the most important question of my life to ask you. Problem is, we're not really into traditional weddings.
"It's not really our style. No offense to our friends, I mean we had a blast at your weddings.
"But that's not really what we'd want anyway.
"And, let's be honest, if we were going to have a wedding it would be some expensive, destination type of thing that all of our friends would probably complain about anyway.
"You guys are welcome to that, you can choose your own vacations.
"So I thought "what would Marissa want?" How could I marry Marissa in a way that would incorporate everything that is important to her - love, adventure, travel, fashion, friends and family.'"
"But it would need to be an extraordinary adventure unlike any proposal ever seen. Something you could experience, enjoy, and capture on the gram so we know it happened.
"But I didn't know how I would do something like that. I figured it out. I guess you'll see," he added.
As Fuchs, who works for Gwenyth Paltrow's lifestyle company Goop, watched the clip she broke down into tears and appeared both nervous and excited. She said: "Shut the f**k up, what is he doing?'"
"I'm dead," she said, as she looked around the room at the others, asking them if the video was a joke or not. She is also heard saying the thinks she might throw up at one point, as she watched the video a second time.
The next clip in her stories sees her jumping out of a car in Astor Place, Manhattan, and running around the corner of a building while her friends follow her and try to capture videos as she embarks on the first leg of the scavenger hunt.
She runs into Flywheel Sports NoHo, where she was sent to get the next clue of her journey. The next clip shows her breaking down into tears, as she dropped to the floor while the song Chapel of Love played in the background.
After a friend gave her a T-shirt and a cap, she hopped up from the floor sobbing and said: "Where is Gabe?"
The following few clips showed her jumping around the fitness center with excitement before completing a Flywheel class with some of her "favorite people".
She was then seen walking outdoors after the class, as she and her friends made their way to the next part of the journey - the AIRE Ancient Baths - for a relaxing post-workout treat; treatment prices at the spa for a single person range in price from $160 for a 30-minute massage to $470 for a 'wine bath experience for one'.
After spending some time in the spa, she heads home "to shower and pack" for the next leg of the scavenger hunt. After taking a shower, she is seen answering a knock on her apartment door while wrapped in a towel.
When she answered the door, Glamsquad makeup artist Heith Chanel was standing outside. "I knew it," she said, as she began crying once again.
The following image showed the fashion influencer, who has gained close to 50,000 followers since the scavenger hunt began, having her hair and makeup done by Heith and other members of New York City-based hair and makeup service Glamsquad, which she describes as being one of her favorite services to use.
Glamsquad offers a wide range of services, with a blowout priced at $50, while a full face of makeup costs $75.
"Literally can't breathe," she captioned a subsequent video that showed her having her hair blow dried.
Another image showed a delivery of dresses from Love Shack Fancy, where the price of one dress ranges from $195 to $795.
While getting her hair and makeup done, Marissa said: "You guys probably think this is an over the top engagement, which it is."
"Gabe, you lived up to my expectations and I don't even know what is next."
A friend is heard asking Marissa what she thinks 'is next' and Marissa says she believes she might be scheduled to meet Gabriel's mother to pick out an outfit.
"Because I think that I'm going to get married today, because I don't want to have an engagement, I just want to be married," she said.
A white, floor-length dress from Ramy Brook was then delivered to Marissa, who said: "Ramy Brook I love you so much. This dress is perfect. I can't wait to wear it at some point even thought I have no idea what is happening."
Dresses from the New York City-based designed retail for between $265 and $645.
She then revealed that she had received direct messages on Instagram from people using the #WhereIsGabe, as people began to wonder what was in store for her special day.
Marissa was sent a Tumi Travel suitcase, which she said had 'G loves M' engraved in it, to use for her trip - a pricey gift thought to be worth close to $900.
The next video saw Marissa getting into a car that was driving her somewhere she had no idea the destination of.
She revealed that her friends, who were drinking champagne in the car with her, told her she was originally going to travel in Fly Blade, however, due to bad weather they opted to travel in an Uber.
A clue on Gabriel's Instagram, where he had changed his bio to read 'where am i?' then showed Marissa that she was headed to Gurney's Resort in Montauk, where rooms are priced at anything from $700-a-night for a 'standard ocean view' to $3,050 for a 'two bedroom residence'.
The cost of an Uber service, which could take up to four hours, from Manhattan to the hotel would cost approximately $300.
He also said she had to find "three jewels" in Montauk that she needed to find in order to get to the next step.
Marissa came back on camera a few snaps later to reveal that she had a feeling she wasn't going to get married that day, but instead to find another clue. "Maybe I'll get married in the morning," she said.
She then said she thought she would be having a bachelorette party that night, which she said would be "epic".
Marissa gave a tour of her suite before sharing some snaps that showed her dining with her friends, Ali and Staci.
At one point, Marissa is seen opening a box, which contained a gold Jade Trau necklace - the first jewel. Necklaces from the jewelry brand range between $950 and $14,000 depending on the style and karat of the diamonds used.
She then went back to her room, where the second "jewel" was located in the form of a Jade Trau key-shaped necklace charm, which appears to retail for $3,200.
The following video saw Marissa showing her clothes hanging in the hotel room closet. She said she had just unpacked all of her items before she was told that she would be leaving the hotel in the morning.
A number of items from Brazilian designer PatBO were given to Marissa for the next leg of the trip.
The designer's dresses retail for between approximately $200 and $750, depending on the style.
"Going to sleep," she wrote on the next story. "Still not engaged. Or married. Love you all and thanks for all the kind messages. See you in the am!"
Marissa took to Instagram stories once again on Wednesday morning at 5am to reveal that she had barely slept on Tuesday night.
She wrote: "Haven't slept and freaking out!!!! Am I getting married today?!?!? @gabriel.grossman Am I getting married today?!?!?!!!!! You should've known I wouldn't be able to handle this suspense.
She said in another video: "In case anyone is wondering, I slept for one hour and during this time when I couldn't sleep, I texted Gabe, I Instagram messaged him even telling him that I see his green is not on. No response."
Marissa said in another video on Wednesday morning that her friends told her she couldn't leave Montauk until she found the third jewel, however as of Wednesday morning, she appeared to have just left the hotel and was already getting set to embark on her next adventure.
For the next part of the excursion, Gabriel told Marissa via his Instagram stories that she would be going to her old high school where the pair originally met.
However, he revealed shortly afterwards that he was kidding, and that she was actually headed to the airport to catch a flight to Miami.
Once again, after she heard the news, she broke down into tears in the back of a car that was taking her to JFK airport.
While waiting for her flight at the airport, Marissa received the third "jewel", which came in the form of a similar key necklace, also worth about $3,200, that had her new initials 'MGC' engraved in it.
She then opened two more packages, one of which contained a dainty gold Jade Trau necklace worth $2,900.
The other box contained a pendant, that had the words 'to the moon' engraved in it, worth $3,100.
The total cost of the incredible surprise proposal is likely to be in the tens of thousands so far.
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