WHEN Kim Schepers went for an afternoon stroll around Rosalind Park yesterday, she had no idea that by the end of it she would be engaged.
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Luke Vale, Kim’s boyfriend of eight years, enlisted the help of the Bendigo Brass Band to pop the question.
With the band subtly practising in the park, Luke began serenading Kim from the nearby bushes.
After the first few lines of Frankie Valli’s Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, the band joined in.
Members of both families were there to witness the moment, which resulted in, without hesitation, a ‘yes’ from Kim. “I thought it was ironic that when we kept accidentally running into my parents and sisters, I thought ‘this is something out of a movie, how funny’,” Kim said.
“Then we bumped into Luke’s parents and no one was even talking about how coincidental it was.” Kim celebrated her 31st birthday during the week and thought she was part of an impromptu birthday celebration in the park.
“I heard this voice and had no idea it was his,” she said.
“I turned around thinking it sounded like Luke.”
For 26-year-old Luke, it was an effort made up of lots of organisation, combined with fear and excitement.
“There’s been a few weeks’ planning and a lot of telling everybody because Kim’s got such a big family,” he said.
“It’s been a little stressful, but exciting. I was absolutely scared before the song – I’ve never done anything like this before.
“I thought she saw me come out the bushes, but I had to wave to get her attention.”
The couple have been together for eight years after meeting through friends.
The Bendigo Brass Band was happy to be in on the organisation, practising for its 150th anniversary performance next week.