Executing the perfect marriage proposal can take a lot of careful planning, but Steve Carr didn't anticipate having his patience tested just moments before he popped the question on the beach in Naples, Fla.
The Denver-based brain surgeon was about to propose to his girlfriend, Mary Naam, when he realized he'd lost the engagement ring that he had hidden in the sand, ABC-7 reports.
Eventually about a dozen people and a professional ring finder pitched in to help locate the ring.
"You gotta feel sorry for a guy who's been digging around in the rain for a couple of hours," Naam later told the station.
Watch the video report above to find out what happened next.
But if digging through the sand for a diamond seems like a chore, imagine sorting through trash at a landfill.
In 2011, Brian McGuinn accidentally tossed his wife's wedding ring into the trash. After realizing his mistake, the Florida man suited up and waded through nine tons of garbage at a local dump until he found the treasured item.
And Carr also isn't the first man to realize he's made an epic mistake just moments before popping the question.
Earlier this year, Josh Miller was preparing to propose to his girlfriend when he realized he'd donated the jacket in which he'd hidden the uninsured ring.
Click through the slideshow below for other ring disasters:
