Tomika Smith just loves to see other people in love.

"I just get a kick out of it,“ Ms Smith said.

But over the years she heard a lot of friends complaining that their partners just were not romantic.

Two years ago, she decided to play Cupid, by forming Private Rendezvous Bermuda, a company that will set up a romantic tryst for you.

“For the first event I planned, I wanted to do something on the beach, but I know a lot of people are doing luxury picnics,” she said. “I wanted to do something different, so I started doing set-ups with a white tepee.”

The tepee with its fluffy white pillows, candles and romantic signs is rapidly becoming Private Rendezvous’s hallmark. New customers often come to her having spotted it somewhere.

“So far, the business has been really popular,” she said. “I am doing about two to three events per week right now, and in the summer things will get very busy.”

Ms Smith has set up the backdrop for three different wedding proposals.

“I did one for a couple that just flew in from New York,” she said. “I don’t know how the guy got ahold of me. I did that on the beach in a cove with the tepee. He absolutely loved it. And his partner did say yes.”

She did another proposal on the rooftop of the Loren Hotel in Smith’s.

“It was so beautiful,” she said. “I did not use the tepee then. It was more of a rose petals and scented candles set-up. The client’s partner absolutely loved it.”

Until recently, Ms Smith was working as an insurance manager in a large exempt company, and running Private Rendezvous in her spare time. She just recently left that job to focus completely on her business.

“This pandemic has made me realise that I want to do more things that I enjoy,” she said. “I said I am just going to do it. I have children that are grown so I don’t have anyone depending on me.”

When she first handed in her notice, she felt a little frightened to be going out on her own, but as the time drew closer to leave, she felt more excited.

“I was thinking of all these other ideas I have for the business to grow,” she said. “Now, I can action those ideas.”

Going forward she would like to arrange bigger events such as couples’ retreats.

“I have ideas, and now I have time,” she said.

The most challenging thing about running Private Rendezvous is the weather.

“You can go back and forth on one location,” she said. “No, it’s not going to rain. Yes, it is. No, it is not. I just had a couple book a picnic. I set it up twice, then I had to throw the towel in, because it was raining. I still wanted to do something nice for them. She had ordered a platter and some mimosas, so I delivered them to her and took some birthday balloons because it was his birthday. She was quite happy with that.”

One of the things Ms Smith has learnt is to work towards her strengths. She hires other locals to provide food and live music or whatever the customer requests, if it is beyond her skill set.

Once, a client asked for a black Christmas tree to go with his Christmas marriage proposal.

“I had everyone on the lookout for a black Christmas tree,” she said. “Someone called me and said Price Rite has one. I went up there and there was only one left. I grabbed that tree. He was so excited about it.”

Again she used a local vendor, Janet Roberts, to decorate it.

For more information see Private Rendezvous Bermuda on Facebook @pr_Bermuda or e-mail prbermuda@gmail.com.