’NATURAL’ PROPOSAL CATCHES ABATE OFF GUARD
CHANNEL 7’s Gold Coast news presenter Amanda Abate has announced she is engaged to long-time partner Brent Beauchamp.
The 33-year-old told the Bulletin she was caught completely off guard when Beauchamp, 36, popped the question while the couple were out walking their dog on Saturday night.
“I had been at the footy watching the (Gold Coast) Suns with my dad. I came home and he (Beauchamp) asked if I wanted to go for a walk with our dog to the park. I was rambling about God knows what, I turned around and he was on his knee asking me to marry him,” Abate said.
“We were both laughing because we felt so awkward about it.
“I could tell he was nervous and so was I. I said ‘yes’ pretty quickly.
“It wasn’t cheesy or overly romantic. It was totally natural.”
Despite having discussed getting married earlier this year, Abate said Beauchamp, a digital marketer, kept the proposal hidden, asking her parents a few weeks earlier and designing the engagement ring himself.
The couple met online while they were both living in Sydney four years ago and talked so long on their first date they missed dinner because all the restaurants had already closed.
Abate said they began planning the wedding immediately, aiming for a Currumbin Valley ceremony in September.
“There’s no need to wait. We are living together already and we do want to start a family as well,” she said.
“My goal is for it to be a small, simple, low-key wedding and if I aim for that I might end up somewhere in the middle.”
“At least Brent balances me out. He’s happy with whatever I choose to do.”