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B.C. man proposes to girlfriend at Elton John concert with help from ‘Suits’ actor

Click to play video: 'I hope you don’t mind, B.C. man proposes to girlfriend at Elton John concert'
I hope you don’t mind, B.C. man proposes to girlfriend at Elton John concert
WATCH: Tuesday night is alright for marriage when a B.C. man popped the question to his unsuspecting girlfriend during the encore of Elton John's final Vancouver show – Sep 25, 2019

A B.C. man proposed to his girlfriend at Tuesday night’s Elton John concert in Vancouver with a little help from a well-known actor.

Ron Beaudoin had decided to treat his girlfriend, Amanda Grace Leslie, to front-row seats for John’s show at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena.

As John sang his 1970 hit “Your Song,” Beaudoin dropped to one knee and presented her with a ring in a backlit box that glowed in the darkened arena.

After Beaudoin puts the ring on her finger, the two embrace as Sir Elton sits on stage metres away, singing, “I hope you don’t mind, I hope you don’t mind, that I put down in words, how wonderful life is while you’re in the world.”

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Amanda Grace Leslie on the night of the proposal.
Amanda Grace Leslie on the night of the proposal. Ron Beaudoin

“I was so surprised,” Leslie said. “My knees almost gave out. I didn’t expect it at all.”

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Just before the proposal, Beaudoin talked to a fellow concertgoer who offered to record the proposal, saying he had a background in film. The man was actor Neal McDonough, whose long list of credits includes roles in Band of Brothers, Suits, Arrow, and Justified.

WATCH: (Feb. 14, 2019) Man proposes to girlfriend using massive Edmonton billboard

Click to play video: 'Man proposes to girlfriend using massive Edmonton billboard'
Man proposes to girlfriend using massive Edmonton billboard

Midway through the video, McDonough turns the cellphone around and says “congratulations” to the couple before turning the camera to John onstage.

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“I didn’t even know who he was,” Beaudoin said.

“He’s a very nice, very genuine man.”

Actor Neal McDonough has appeared in TV series such as Band of Brothers, Suits, Arrow, and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. EPA/SEBASTIEN NOGIER

Beaudoin said the proposal came together at the last minute. The Shuswap man had bought the tickets two days before the concert and snuck away from his girlfriend while in Vancouver to buy an engagement ring.

“It all just kind of came spontaneously,” Beaudoin said.

“We just kind of went through a real rough spell. Last month we lost five or six people in our lives due to accidents and cancer. It was kind of an a-ha moment.”

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Beaudoin said he had checked setlists from John’s recent concerts to see if he would sing “Your Song,” one of Leslie’s favourite songs. He said he was a bit nervous as the concert came to a close, but once he heard Sir Elton play the first few notes from one of his biggest hits, he knew things had perfectly fallen into place.

“It was just a real magical moment. To have him playing the piano there — Sir Elton himself — I don’t think you could put a better fairy tale together.”

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