Husband-to-be pops question to Manitoba violinist in show-stopping proposal

A pair of musicians from Manitoba are getting hitched after the husband-to-be performed a show-stopping proposal.

"It was completely surreal," violinist Rosemary Siemens said of her partner Eli Bennett's grand gesture over the weekend. "All I could do is laugh and laugh and laugh, because I was in such shock I did not know what to do."

Bennett sprung the big question on Siemens during a concert in Gretna, Man., part of Siemens' Have a Little Faith Western Canada tour with her project Rosemary & the Sweet Sound Revival.

Siemens, who's from Plum Coulee, Man., about 90 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg, had just begun playing one final song before intermission when one of her backup singers interrupted the performance and introduced a special guest with a thing for the King, Elvis Presley. 

"And then all of a sudden I hear a saxophone from the back of the hall and I'm like, 'Oh my word,' and I see my boyfriend," she said. "He's in a white suit playing 'I Can't Help Falling in Love' coming down the aisle of the concert hall.… I couldn't believe it."

A videographer hired by Siemens to shoot her show caught the entire cinematic moment in front of an unsuspecting crowd of 350 fans, friends and family.

After playing his saxophone from the back of the hall and up to the stage, Bennett took a knee and asked for Siemens' hand in marriage.

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The impassioned plea was met with an enthusiastic "Yes!" from Siemens.

Siemens later learned more about the lengths her fiancé went to in order to make sure everything happen according to plan.

He was on tour with the band Five Alarm Funk and hopped on a plane to Winnipeg the previous evening before driving two hours to Gretna for the surprise. After Siemens said "Yes," Bennett raced back into Winnipeg, where he joined his bandmates on stage for a sold-out show at The Pyramid. 

The pair, who now live in Vancouver, had talked about getting married in the past, but what happened blew Siemens away.

"It was so thoughtful and so sweet and perfect for two musicians," she said. "I couldn't have been happier."