A romantic moment during the Rodermarkt parade in Roden on Saturday evening. Greg Allen (41), dressed as a cartoon character, asks his Laura (28) to marry him. “When she realized what was happening, she immediately started crying.”
He is very proud of his son Elijah (7). He sang a special version of the song while hundreds of people watched him Hey, Laura by singer Gregory Porter . Daughter Genevieve (9) was also involved in the plot. The originally British resident of Roden has been preparing the proposal for months. “I shit my pants,” he says about the supreme moment.
Did it in my pants
In videos that were made, Greg saw how the audience shouted and cheered when he, dressed as Luigi from the computer game Super Mario, walked towards the completely surprised Laura. “I had prepared a whole text, but all that came out of my throat was a growl,” says Greg, laughing.
Laura quickly realized what was happening. “When she heard Elijah sing Would you marry my daddy she started to cry. Luckily she said yes,” says a happy Greg.
Prankster
About three months ago, the resident of Roden thought that the Rodermarkt parade would be a great moment to propose to his loved one. “The parents of De Parel, the school where the children attend, asked me to help build the float for the parade,” he says.
“Later I thought: the Rodermarkt parade is the moment. My kids are on the wagon and I’m sure no one has ever done this before!” He didn’t think of dressing up as Luigi himself. “That was the parents’ idea. I immediately embraced it, because it suits me. I’m a huge joker.”
Alternative proposal
His lover is still amazed that Greg managed to involve all his family and friends in the plot without her realizing it. That did take some tension and nerves.
“Many people were part of the conspiracy. I was afraid that friends of ours would accidentally reveal the secret.” That’s why he misled Laura by making her think the proposal would come much later.
Before that, he made a reservation at one of their favorite restaurants and wrote a song for a fake proposal on the same date. Laura had already seen that text, so she could not have suspected that the proposal would take place during the Rodermarkt parade.
Brilliant
„ Brilliant, isn’t it” says a happy Greg about the successful surprise. “Laura is also very happy.” The couple, who met five years ago in Belgium, plan to tie the knot next year.
Greg’s children, who recently lived with the couple in the Netherlands, are also keen on the marriage. “We are thinking about getting married in the Netherlands and having a small ceremony in England.”