Half A Town Helped Mathew To Fish Out His Lost Ring From The Ocean For His Proposal

Kayla Harrity, 24, who works for the Town of Waxhaw, was on a vacation with her boyfriend, 25-year-old Matthew Picca, and her family in Southport, NC, when he decided to propose to her, according to wect.

"I turned around and he was getting down on one knee," Kayla recalled. "As he opened the ring box, the ring fell out of the box and fell through the cracks on the deck and into the water. I didn't even get to see it before it dropped."

That made everyone go into total shock. "I covered my face and began to cry because I knew my boyfriend was devastated," she said. "Matthew did not even get to say anything to me before the ring fell into the ocean."

But immediately, a number of people dived into the water in order to search for it. Her brother-in-law, sister and Matthew all jumped into the water, all clothes on, to search for the ring.

"At the bar, there were three men who were enjoying a beer who saw the whole thing," she said. "They must have felt bad for us and did not want to see our engagement end like this. They jumped in the water and helped look for the ring."

Thinking that Matthew had a "special case on his phone", her sister stuck it under the water to use as a flashlight, but found to her dismay that it did not have the case, and ruined the phone.

"I began running to the neighboring restaurants asking if anyone had goggles," she said. "I knew if we had some we could find the ring."

People were giving the group flashlights and one man ran home to get them goggles.

"After ten flashlights, and five pairs of goggles and over 1.5 hours of searching in the water...the ring was found!" Kayla said. It was found by Kyle Blusher.

"Everyone at the bar was cheering. All of a sudden, everyone was chanting 'Propose again! Do it again!'," Kayla recalled. "It was the best feeling in the world. My fiancé, soaking wet, smelling like salty, fishing water, proceeded to get down on one knee and put the beautiful ring on my finger!"

"The energy of everyone at the bar was incredible. It was a total shock that he even found the ring," she continued. "We walked upstairs and bought the men who helped us a round of shots. They were amazing and we are so grateful to have their help that night."

The two of them then went on a romantic carriage ride around Southport.

"When we got back, people were still coming up asking to see the ring," Kayla said. "They said everyone in Southport was talking about it. It was definitely a night to remember!"

They are expected to marry in Southport next year.