He couldn't take the love of his life to Paris, so he found Paris on the South Shore

Sue Scheible, The Patriot Ledger
Updated ·6 min read

ABINGTON − Three years ago, when retired carpenter and tireless "tinkerer" Steve Temple built a 24-foot wooden replica of the Eiffel Tower in his backyard, he never expected he'd wind up playing Cupid.

The wooden structure, painted black, in a small woodland behind his house was a chance to work with the kind of math calculations that appeal to him. He called his Eiffel Tower research his "black hole," spending weeks figuring out the 40:1 scale and the 8-square-foot base for his model.

Amber Jogie, left, and her fiance, Belmiro Da Veiga, are pictured near the 24-foot replica of the Eiffel Tower built by Steve Temple in his Abington backyard in 2020.
Amber Jogie, left, and her fiance, Belmiro Da Veiga, are pictured near the 24-foot replica of the Eiffel Tower built by Steve Temple in his Abington backyard in 2020.

After his tribute to the world's most iconic monument was finished in 2020, he moved on to other challenges. He built a 12-foot model of the Egyptian Sphinx , a 14-foot giraffe and, this past summer, a full-size model of the 1917 British Sopwith Camel World War I fighter biplane.

After an article about his Eiffel Tower was in The Patriot Ledger in July 2020, people occasionally sought it out to also enjoy some of its magic. A teacher in Rhode Island wanted to borrow it for his students' junior prom, until he learned how big it is. A former family member got back in touch after many years. Two strangers showed up unannounced at his door and asked to see it.

By far the most ardent, creative and persistent request came from a young man in Brockton: 24-year-old Belmiro Da Veiga Jr. He is a student at UMass-Boston, studying business management, who also works as a mortgage loan officer.

In November 2022, Belmiro emailed The Patriot Ledger.

"I would like to propose to my girlfriend using this Eiffel Tower replica in the background and would like to contact him. Do you have any way I can reach this man?" he said.

Steve Temple explains how he built this model of the Eiffel Tower in his Abington backyard in front of which Belmiro Da Veiga, of Brockton, proposed to his girlfriend, Amber Jogie, of Boston.
Steve Temple explains how he built this model of the Eiffel Tower in his Abington backyard in front of which Belmiro Da Veiga, of Brockton, proposed to his girlfriend, Amber Jogie, of Boston.

Steve and Belmiro were connected and nothing more was heard. Then a month ago, Belmiro sent this message:

"After being in contact with (Steve Temple) over this past year, we coordinated a date for the proposal and it just happened yesterday (Nov. 12)!  I wanted to follow up with you and give you the good news. Thank you so much for connecting me and my now Uncle Steve."

Belmiro Da Veiga Jr., of Brockton, proposes to Amber Jogie, of Boston, in front of the 24-foot Eiffel Tower replica that retired carpenter Steve Temple built in his backyard in Abington in 2020. Friends helped Belmiro prepare the replica for the surprise proposal. (Josh Joseph photo)
Belmiro Da Veiga Jr., of Brockton, proposes to Amber Jogie, of Boston, in front of the 24-foot Eiffel Tower replica that retired carpenter Steve Temple built in his backyard in Abington in 2020. Friends helped Belmiro prepare the replica for the surprise proposal. (Josh Joseph photo)

Belmiro attached several photos of the engagement scene.

Belmiro and Amber Jogie, 26, have set a tentative wedding date for next July. Amber, from Georgia, is a graduate student at Boston University, where she also has worked as a resident assistant.

The two met in 2021 at a Halloween party at Jubilee Christian Church in Mattapan. A friend introduced them; they soon began dating.

"She was a beautiful presence, such a sweet soul," Belmiro said. In April 2022, he asked her to be his girlfriend. She mentioned at some point that one of her dreams was to get engaged someday in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

His mission was to make her dream come true

As their relationship grew more serious, Belmiro's mission became "to make her dream come true. This is the love of my life and how do I get her to Paris?"

Amber Jogie, of Boston, left, and her fiance, Belmiro Da Veiga, of Brockton, right, pose with carpenter Steve Temple in his Abington backyard, where he built a model of the Eiffel Tower in front of which Belmiro proposed to Amber.
Amber Jogie, of Boston, left, and her fiance, Belmiro Da Veiga, of Brockton, right, pose with carpenter Steve Temple in his Abington backyard, where he built a model of the Eiffel Tower in front of which Belmiro proposed to Amber.

He consulted a church pastor and decided that he would "find a way to bring Paris to her."

"Can I build an Eiffel Tower?" he wondered. He visited Home Depot, had more consultations, and then went online to search for "Eiffel Tower near me." He had heard there was a model in Las Vegas.

"It came up that there was one right here in Abington!" he said. He looked up the article in The Patriot Ledger.

"It's huge!" he said when he saw the photo. Once he and Steve were connected, they began emailing and calling over several months.. Finally, this past May, Belmiro met Steve and his wife, Sandra, at their Abington home. Amber still was in the dark about all this.

Ideas went back and forth. A plan was made, and, along the way, Steve became "Uncle Steve" rather than "Sir," as Belmiro had been calling him.

On Nov. 12, Belmiro told Amber that they were driving to his Uncle Steve's house so she could meet him. This was a family member she had never heard of and she hoped she was dressed appropriately.

It was late in the afternoon when they arrived at Steve's house in Abington. Belmiro told her that Uncle Steve was always puttering in the backyard.

"In the dark?" she wondered.

They walked slowly across the backyard in the dark and as they reached the woodland grove, Belmiro used a remote control Steve had given him to switch on dozens of lights strung across the Eiffel Tower replica, revealing the perfect scene for Belmiro's proposal.

The ground near the tower had flower petals arranged in the shape of a heart. Belmiro took a bouquet from a table and presented it to Amber as she said, 'Honey, what's going on?' He told her that since the day they had met, "I haven't stopped falling deeply in love with you."

He dropped down on his knees and continued, "And today I have decided that I want to spend the rest of my tomorrows with you. So I want to ask you today, will you marry me?"

"Yeah," she said, her voice catching with emotion. "I love you." He placed the ring on her finger and as she got up, they hugged, then he picked her up off the ground and swung her around.

"We did it! We did it!" Belmiro shouted out in joy.

"My heart was bursting, overflowing, when I saw this Eiffel Tower," Amber said last week. When she learned that a stranger had built it and then had offered to help Belmiro propose, she realized "the real Eiffel Tower could never give that sense of intimacy and warmth."

Belmiro and Amber are both grateful for the wide network of support they have enjoyed.

"I never could have pulled it off without our church community and friends," he said. His "brothers" from the church helped him set up the proposal scene, stringing lights over the tower, decorating the ground and testing the remote control switch to turn on the lights.

Belmiro Da Veiga Jr., of Brockton, proposes to Amber Jogie, of Boston, on Nov. 12, 2023, in front of the 24-foot Eiffel Tower replica that retired carpenter Steve Temple built in his backyard in Abington in 2020.
Belmiro Da Veiga Jr., of Brockton, proposes to Amber Jogie, of Boston, on Nov. 12, 2023, in front of the 24-foot Eiffel Tower replica that retired carpenter Steve Temple built in his backyard in Abington in 2020.

The popular path to the Eiffel Tower in their backyard has been energizing for both of the Temples, as well as their daughter Christa, who was visiting from New York during one planning session.

"Steve and I both thoroughly enjoyed the whole process," Sandra Temple said.

"It was exciting and it was fun to have the energy and enthusiasm of these youngsters come into my life," Steve said. "It was a very nice experience."

Reach Sue Scheible at sscheible@patriotledger.com.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Man surprises fiancee with Eiffel Tower marriage proposal in Abington