Here's a tip for anyone planning to propose. Do it on solid ground. Matt Cawley learned that lesson the hard way when he popped the question with a $9000 ring attached to a sand dollar on a jetty in Cape Cod. When girlfriend Stacey Scanlon picked up the shell, the ring fell into the water and disappeared. “It was the worst feeling in the world,” Cawley said in an interview with TodayShow.com. At least, he's in good company. Actress Megan Fox also lost her 2-carat engagement ring on a beach after boyfriend Brian Austin Green proposed. Despite sending her minions to comb the shore, she never retrieved it. Ocean: 2. Finger: 0.

But staying inland isn't the only guarantee of a smooth proposal. One outdoorsy type proposed to his girlfriend on a rugged hike in Maryland. In her excitement, she slipped, fell off a cliff and had to be rescued by helicopter. Reed Harris' proposal also ended with a trip to the emergency room. He thought to surprise girlfriend Kaitlin Whipple with a ring in her milkshake. Guess who's a gulper? In the emergency room, Harris proposed with the X-Ray of the ring in her stomach in place of the real thing. She said yes, and spent the next few days eating prunes, trying to pass the diamond. Kaitlin wrote on her blog: "It arrived this morning and I have never been so excited about my bodily functions."

Then there's P.J. Meital who spelled out "Marry Me Michelle" in human-sized poster board letters on the Mall of the Washington Monument. When his girlfriend reached the top of the Monument, all she saw from 555 feet were the words "Harry Me Michelle". Turns out his first M wasn't very well constructed and Michelle passed it off as a local oddity. And don't forget the girl who missed her own Jumbotron proposal because she was in the bathroom. At least she said yes. If there's anything we've learned from the internet, it's that proposals at sporting events aren't the best idea. But they sure are fun to watch. Check out some of the most cringe-worthy engagement attempts caught on tape.

http://www.shine.yahoo.com/channel/sex/marriage-proposals-that-went-awry-2293047/