- This couple's magical proposal turned into a moment of panic when they accidentally lost the ring to the ocean.
- Luke Aukuso asked his girlfriend Stephanie Lamb for her hand in marriage on a pier at Hervey Bay, Queensland.
- But the ring ended up falling into the water before he could get it onto his future bride's finger.
- The sweet proposal included Stephanie's two-year-old daughter helping Luke hand the ring to her mom.
- After diving into the water, Luke recovered the piece of jewellery.
Watch the moment this proposal went pear-shaped after a man dropped the engagement ring through a crack in a pier, leaving it to fall in the water below.
Luke Aukuso, 26, from Brisbane, Australia, bought the ring for his partner, Stephanie Lamb, 25, two months before getting down on one knee to propose to her on a pier at Hervey Bay, Queensland.
The thoughtful proposal included Stephanie's two-year-old daughter, Harper, helping Luke hand the ring to her mom.
However, disaster struck when the ring slipped out of Luke and Harper's hands and fell through a gap in the wooden pier, landing in the sea below.
Luke and Stephanie both scrambled in a panic to try to grab the ring but gasped in horror as they watched it tumble into the water.
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The clip was shared on TikTok by Stephanie, and has been viewed nearly three million times. "Had to tell Harpie that it was kissed by the fish and mermaids for goodluck," she captioned the post.
Take a look below:
Stephanie, a childcare educator, explained: "Luke was holding the box with the ring in it, but Harper knew the ring was for me and really wanted to hand it to me.
"Their hands clashed as they both tried to grab hold of it, the timing was off, and they lost the grip of the ring, and it fell through a crack in the pier."
The 25-year-old says she was "instantly panicked" as she watched the ring fall "in slow motion".
"Luke immediately ran to the edge of the pier, took his wallet, keys and phone out of his pockets and dived in after it.
"My parents and my mum's close friend were all there watching the proposal, and everyone gasped at the same time as the ring fell."
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The ring ended 5 to 6 metres below the surface of the water. The tide was low, and Luke managed to recover the piece of jewellery.
Luke, a construction worker, said: "I knew I wanted to propose to Stephanie after a year of us being together. I'd always said to Stephanie that when I propose to her, I'll make sure I do it with her daughter, Harper, as it was a promise to both of them."
He added that it was "the biggest relief" when he recovered the ring.
"Stephanie was ecstatic to finally have the ring on her finger and that I proposed to her, as she'd been dropping some hints. We had to tell Harper the ring needed to be kissed and blessed by mermaids in the water before it was given to Stephanie, so she didn't blame herself or feel bad about it."
He continued: "I think it'll be a running joke for a while, but I don't think we'll have Harper as a ring bearer at the wedding. She'll be an adorable flower girl instead."
The pair, who have been together for two years after meeting through Tinder, are expecting a baby boy together in January.
