A Memorable Proposal

    SOUTHPORT, NC - Kayla Harrity, 24, and her boyfriend, 25-year-old Matthew Picca, both from Charlotte, NC, were on a late-summer vacation with Kayla's family in Southport when Matthew decided to try to pull off a surprise proposal. Kayla's family would be accompanying them to Old American Fish for dinner. The famous NC dockside restaurant/bar was the perfect setting for a proposal, Matthew decided. And where better to get down on one knee and pop the question than on the dock itself?
    Everything went just fine... until Matthew got down on one knee, pulled out the ring box and opened it. Before he could even say "will you?", the ring popped out of the box, slipped through the cracks of the deck, and disappeared into the ocean! The crowd of onlookers that had gathered to watch the proposal saw the situation and quickly rushed in to help. Some found flashlights; others rushed home to get goggles.
    Ten flashlights, five pairs of goggles, and more than 1.5 hours of searching later, the ring was found! Everyone cheered. Then, all of a sudden, everyone started chanting, "Propose again! Do it again!" So, Matthew did. In Kayla's own words: "It was the best feeling in the world. My fiancé, soaking wet and smelling like salty fishing water, proceeded to get down on one knee and put the beautiful ring on my finger!"
    After another hour of celebrating, the couple ended the evening with a romantic carriage ride. Unfortunately, Matthew was unable to capture any of this very memorable day using his phone. You see, while searching for the missing ring, Kayla's sister had the bright idea of using his phone's flashlight app to look UNDER the water for it. You can guess how that went!
    Matthew and Kayla hope to get married in Southport next year. They are looking forward to a drama-free ceremony.

---