One Woman Dropped Her Engagement Ring in the Sand During a Beach Proposal

Asking for your partner’s hand in marriage is a huge step in any relationship, so it’s natural to want everything to go according to plan. When Zay surprised his girlfriend Sai with a romantic proposal on Coogee Beach in Sydney, Australia, on February 11, 2023, things took a dramatic turn. Before popping the question, Zay worked with an event planner to arrange a dreamy setup, which included a red carpet walkway lined with candles that led to a circle of string lights framed with a “Marry Me” neon sign. 

In a video that documented the proposal—which his since gone viral—Zay got down on one knee at the beginning of the aisle and presented Sai with the ring. After Sai said “yes,” a huge crowd of beachgoers who witnessed the event all cheered. Then, the unexpected happened: Sai dropped the ring in the sand. “The ring was loose, and it flew off my finger after wearing it for about five minutes,” the bride-to-be tells Sky News Australia. Immediately, the couple started digging through the sand to find the sparkler, and more than two dozen people jumped up to assist the search. After 20 minutes of frantically scouring the beach, one of the bystanders finally found the rock.

One of the individuals in the crowd recorded the proposal and posted it to her TikTok account, @jessicacondonn. The clip has already received 2.3 million views, 163.2K likes, and 183 comments. Although many other TikTok users shared congratulatory messages on Instagram, others expressed how the stakes are too high with such a public display of affection. One of the top comments on the post says, “Public proposals are my biggest nightmare.” Another user shared her own similar experience. “I lost my wedding ring in the middle of the desert while we were taking our pictures,” the user said. Since the TikTok video never clarified whether the bride-to-be found the ring, Sai updated everyone in another comment, confirming that she was reunited with the jewel.

For Sai, the mishap didn't seem to take away from the excitement around the proposal. She posted on Instagram that the event exceeded her wildest expectations. “I said YES!!” she exclaimed. Completely taken by surprise and completely in love. I never could have imagined a proposal as perfect and magical as the one you gave me. You have a way of making everything so special and unforgettable. Thank you for making me the happiest person in the world. I am so grateful to have you as my partner, my best friend, and now, my fiancé 💍❤️.”

A few days later, the Australia resident added a follow-up post to her feed. She uploaded a clip of the proposal followed by screenshots of news stories about the incident. “When you thought proposing was the biggest surprise of your life, but the internet had other plans,” the caption said. “Anyways, Happy Valentine’s day🤣.”