When planning his proposal, Jacob Jones leveraged his unique position as a Detroit tour guide. On Jan. 27, 2023, he popped the question to his then-girlfriend Ally Rooker in the lobby of Detroit’s Fisher Building. He’s given tours there with Pure Detroit and the Albert Kahn Legacy Foundation for more than a decade. Rooker is a content creator on TikTok and Instagram.
Jones’s connections at the building secured him permission to set up luminary bags spelling out “Will You Marry Me?” on the third floor. Inaccessible to the general public, its balconies overlook the lobby and offer stunning views of the ceiling frescoes.
Unfortunately, a new security officer, unaware of the plan, barred Jones’s sister from entering to set up. Needing to pivot, she placed the bags in the first-floor lobby instead.
While they were out that night, Jones told his wife-to-be that he had to drop something off at the Fisher Theatre box office. Although Rooker says she had “a little suspicion” that Jones had something planned, her answer when he dropped to his knee was an enthusiastic “yes!”
That summer, the couple took engagement photos at another Art Deco icon: the Guardian Building downtown, where Jones has also given tours. With permission from the building manager, they headed up to the roof to snap some pics.
“We had to climb a lot of stairs with the guy that had the keys,” Rooker says. “But once we got up there, it was fun. I’ve never seen that view before, so it was really cool.”
Says Jones, “For anyone who wants to get engaged or take photos at a cool space, my No. 1 tip is to befriend building managers and security guards because they quite literally hold the keys to the city.”
The couple married on Aug. 17, 2024, and rented out the Corktown restaurant Supergeil for their reception. 
