Boat Out of Control
Maritime proposals are nothing new. In fact, they can be one of the most romantic settings for an engagement. We’re talking about everything from beach villas and lake houses to boat tours and Caribbean cruises. While this proposal definitely attempted to mimic the romance of these waterfront engagements, the execution was way off. If you can't tell, a horrified bystander caught this proposal fail on camera. Things started off shaky from the start.
The couple stood on two separate boats as the man appeared to pull out a ring. If it wasn't already risky to stand on the outer rim of the boat while holding a multi-thousand dollar ring, it's even worst to stand by the gas pedal. As his girlfriend said yes and leaned in for a kiss, she stepped on the gas, jolted her boat forward, fell over into the boat, crashed into the happy group of spectators, and tugged her new fiancé overboard. At least they made it memorable!
Fell Through The Cracks
We've all seen the photoshoots with a beautiful sunset background while posing on a bridge. From engagement to wedding portraits, couples adore the rustic, natural setting of a wooden bridge in a park. So why not combine the engagement and the photoshoot into one big event? Consolidating these are easy on the wallet and make the photos that much more authentic.
The issue? Rings are small, metal, and slippery. Ring boxes are usually just as small and don't do much to prevent the jewelry from coming loose and rolling all over the place. Unfortunately, this ring saw an opportunity and fell straight through the cracks of the bridge with minimal bounce. No matter where you're proposing (but especially when standing on a cracked surface), make sure the ring box is face up!
Sink or Swim
It's embarrassing enough to drop the ring when you're proposing, but it's on a whole new level when the ring gets chucked overboard into the ocean. This is what happens when you let your "bros" be in charge of the proposal. In fact, if any of your boyfriend's buddies were able to successfully transport the ring from one spot to another during your engagement, then you're one of the lucky ones.
Ploys to toss and catch anything during a proposal is asking for tragedy to strike. Either someone's getting blinded or the ring goes missing -- there's no in-between. It looks like a few people were brave enough to dive into the water after the box and one actually found it. As for the ring? Fish food.
Just Around the River Bend
If you learn nothing else from these unfortunate fails, remember this: don't propose near water! Water plus jewelry is never a good idea anyway, so why does anybody think they’ll magically stop having butterfingers once the cameras are on them? Plus, whoever is getting proposed to is probably so hyped up on adrenaline that they can barely see straight, much less keep track of a ring.
His poor girlfriend was so excited to see the ring that merely taking it out of the box was too much to handle. He got down on one knee successfully, opened the box with no fallout, kissed with no bumping, yet the creek still managed to gobble it up... Anyone who wants to propose near the water should start with a Walmart ring first and transition to real diamonds later. Sounds fool-proof to us!
Blown Away
Why do these fails take place on bridges so often? Oh, and what's that under them? Water, no less! Add in some strong gusts of wind and you have yourself a failed engagement! We probably don't need to emphasize just how delicate diamond rings are for you guys, but evidently, these people thought rings came with gravity enhancers to make sure they don't get blown out of their grasp.
Unfortunately, this isn't a comic book and gravity has no mercy here. As humans living on a planet with unpredictable weather, we have to be cautious about our time outdoors. This includes taking into account what's appropriate for every type of weather. Women avoid skirts when it's windy, and you should avoid proposing!
Dive Right In
Rule number one of canoeing: don't stand up in the canoe! Stability is half the battle of water sports like canoeing and kayaking, so actively shifting your weight around to stand up in these vessels is super risky and reserved for the most experienced among us, such as this European gondolier.
At least this guy wasn't diving into the water after the ring, he just fell in as the consequence of his ignorance. Perhaps that's not much better... But he did the right thing by taking one for the team and falling in as soon as he felt himself wobble. As long as the ring is safe and his girlfriend is dry, everything's okay!
Barrier to Entry
Some proposal fails are cringeworthy and painful, like when your friend throws the ring into the ocean, but others are made even better by little slip-ups. Take this guy, for instance. He reenacted his failed proposal with his fiance because it was just that hilarious. He tried to be the cool guy and make his proposal Instagram worthy by hopping the fence and proposing in one fluid motion. His feet had other plans, so he kissed the dirt instead of his girl.
Sometimes we wonder why proposals have become so over the top. You don't need a thousand yellow daisies or Fabio riding a horse across the beach to make your engagement special. We're not saying you shouldn't put effort into your proposal, but it doesn't have to be like Hollywood. As long as you're authentic, your partner will be the happiest person on the planet!
Weak in the Knees
Grass and heels -- basically every lady's worst nightmare. Hearing those words in the same sentence is enough to make our skin crawl. If your heel isn't three inches thick, then good luck not sinking into the dirt. Not even wedges are safe! This poor woman's ankle twisted right out from under her during what should've been a magical moment.
But for all of us clumsy folks out there, we know that a little thing like that doesn't ruin the meaning behind the moment. We know ourselves well enough not to expect perfection if we're doing... well, pretty much anything. We will trip, guaranteed. An engagement is always special (unless they say no, but that's another story), so it's best to have a good attitude and laugh it off. In a few years, you'll look back and smile!
Slipped Up
Talk about a quick recovery! Humans can barely keep their balance in general, so throwing slippery rocks into the mix is not the way to go for any amateur photoshoot. This boyfriend even tried to be careful yet still managed to lose his footing. He's really lucky that he didn't hurt himself!
To be honest, this proposal was probably improved with his slip-up because his ability to smoothly transition into a proposal made it even more impressive. Plus, he had the element of surprise on his hands. His girlfriend went from being concerned about his safety to getting engaged. Surprise!
Am I Dreaming?
Proposals are a lot to take in. Sometimes the neurons in our brain are so overwhelmed with joy or anxiety that they fire at will and trigger a physical response. Sure, we've all experienced a rapid heartbeat or sweaty palms when we're nervous, but most of us haven't gone into full-body shock from surprise. This poor girl fell over on the spot as soon as her boyfriend pulled out the ring!
We haphazardly throw around the term "shock" all the time, but it's a serious medical condition. Strong emotions like fear and anxiety can cause your blood pressure to drop suddenly, which causes blood and oxygen to be cut off from your organs. The lack of blood flow is why people like this frightened bride faint when they're caught off guard. Hopefully, she passed out from excitement rather than fear!
A Rocky Start
On a beautiful Thursday morning in 2016, a hopeless romantic decided that it was the perfect day to propose to get engaged. California native Michael Banks climbed Morro Rock to propose to his girlfriend over FaceTime while dangling from a 600-foot rock face. The San Luis Obispo Tribune didn't report on this story because it was romantic, but because the descent went seriously wrong.
After his girlfriend said yet with tears of joy, Banks decided to take a more difficult route down the eastern side of the mountain. This wasn't the best move as he ended up stranded on a dangerously thin ledge and had to be rescued by helicopter from the state's Highway Patrol. Love makes us do crazy things!
Fight or Flight
Despite all the stories of boyfriends dropping the ring and tripping over themselves during their proposals, those aren't the worst proposal stories out there. The biggest engagement fails always end with the same word: "no." Because if your partner says yes, the proposal didn't really go that badly, right?
Sadly, the same can't be said for this confident lady. It took every ounce of dignity for her to get down on one knee in a stadium of thousands to propose to her boyfriend and all she got was his silhouette growing smaller as he ran for the hills. He's not obligated to say yes just to stroke her ego, but he didn't have to completely leave her hanging!
Crash and Burn
Technological advances are great and all, but no matter how well they're advertised, it's usually not as good as it appears. Take this drone fail, for example. This man put all of his confidence into the wrong piece of tech because now all he has from his proposal are out-of-focus snow shots.
Everything seemed to be going well at first. He took the time to travel to this beautiful location and position his drone for some perfect couple's shots only for it to go haywire as soon as he pulled out the ring. The thing couldn't have chosen a worse time to malfunction!
Ride the Wave
Nature put this couple's relationship to the test as soon as he knelt down. What a way to begin your life with someone! A rock face surrounded by water is a risky move, if you haven't already figured that out. And compared to other proposal fails on the water, these two had one of the worst, yet handled it the best!
Once they saw the wave coming, he did all the right things. 1. Protect his girl, 2. Hold onto the ring, and 3. Follow through! Both parties escaped the water wearing smiles stretching from ear to ear. Because they were able to survive what could have been a very scary situation this early in their relationship, they have a great shot at a lifetime of happiness together!