News
Ryan Beugli proposed to his gilfriend, Brittany Smith, after the couple won a 1-carat diamond ring in a raffle Saturday at the 10th annual Jazz and Jewels auction.
Photo courtesy of Julia Moore
Prize leads to proposal
March 11, 2011
By Teresa Ristow
Mail Tribune
Brittany Smith didn't know her boyfriend would make her a bride after winning a diamond ring in a charity raffle, but she does now
Ryan Beugli had been thinking about proposing to his girlfriend for a while, but never planned on winning the engagement ring in a raffle and asking her in front of hundreds of people.
"It's very out of his personality to do something random and spontaneous like this," said Brittany Smith, Beugli's now-fiancee.
Beugli, 28, a project manager for Adroit Construction in Ashland, and Smith, 27, were attending the 10th annual Jazz and Jewels auction March 5 when their raffle ticket was pulled as the winner of a 1-carat diamond ring, worth about $5,500.
Beugli saw it as the perfect opportunity for a proposal, and, unbeknownst to Smith, called her parents and asked her father for permission to marry her. Smith's father said yes.
"He pulled me up on stage, and everyone was clapping and yelling," Smith said. "I had no idea he had these plans."
Beugli was handed the box with the diamond inside, got down on one knee, and proposed.
"We had this diamond, and it belonged on her finger," said Beugli.
The auction was a fundraiser for Mobility Unlimited, a Medford-based company that raises money to purchase power wheelchairs and other equipment that people in need aren't able to afford.
Smith, who is a Mobility Unlimited board member, heard that only seven $100 raffle tickets had been purchased before the event began, so the Medford couple decided to buy two tickets, and ended up being the lucky winners.
"It was fun to have so many people that were close to us there," Smith said.
The diamond was donated by Ashland's Gold & Gems Fine Jewelry, and owner Ron Hansen was pleased to hear how the diamond was used.
"In the 30 years I've been here, I haven't heard of a more wonderful story," Hansen said. "It's just so cool that they were able to get their start, and that we were a part of it."
Overall, the auction and raffle raised more than $73,000 for Mobility Unlimited.
"One hundred percent of it goes directly to people who need it," Smith said.
Teresa Ristow is a Mail Tribune reporting intern.
