Couple reveals how proposal ‘went wrong’ when $1,200 engagement ring fell in lake

A woman has revealed how her now-fiancé’s marriage proposal “went wrong” when he dropped the $1,200 engagement ring in a lake.

In a recent video shared to TikTok, Gerii Ashforth documented how her boyfriend had created a “perfect proposal, until it all went wrong”. In the clip, the couple could be seen standing on a lake dock surrounded by flowers and candles.

As Ashforth clasped her hands over her eyes, her partner Ross Bamber started to bend down on one knee, while holding the ring box in his hand.

However, as Bamber was kneeling, a series of thuds could be heard in the clip, prompting Ashforth to say: “No, please don’t tell me that just happened, no it didn’t.” Bamber then placed his hand over his mouth.

According to the TikToker, the sound came from her engagement ring falling out of the box and into the lake, as the caption included hashtags such as: #ringdrop#inthelake#proposalgonewrong.

As of 30 June, the clip has more than 3.7m views, with viewers in the comments horrified by the video. “I would cry,” one person wrote.

Others asked whether the couple had managed to recover the ring, while some questioned how expensive the ring was and whether it was insured.

In the comments and follow-up videos, Ashforth revealed that, despite the “best efforts” of the couple’s best friends, who searched the lake for the “very expensive” ring, it was “lost to the lake forever”.

Speaking toBBC News about his proposal, Bamber expressed how stunned he was when the ring fell out of the box and into the lake.

“I watched it as it was bouncing along the decking and it sat on the edge of one of the decking boards, and I thought: ‘Wow’ - and then it literally plopped in,” he recalled.

According to Ashforth, while she had “slight inkling” that her boyfriend was going to pop the question, she never expected the proposal to turn out the way it did.

“I heard it bounce, and thought: ‘Please, that can’t possibly be the ring...’ - my heart dropped,” she said.

Bamber went on to note that he had friends come over, who went into the lake “with swimming shorts and goggles on, but they couldn’t find the ring”. He also said that they tried using a magnet, which didn’t work, as the ring was white gold.

According to the Daily Mail, the lost ring cost $1,200 [£1,000].

On TikTok, Ashforth revealed that Bamber ended up getting her a new ring, before redoing his proposal in the same spot near the lake.

And despite the tragic ending to the first proposal attemt, Ashforth told viewers that she plans to pass the memorable story down to her future grandchildren.

The Independent has contacted Ashforth and Bamber for comment.