Love bites: Proposal gone awry proves jewelry tv, food don't mix

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FARMINGTON — Engagement rings and ice cream just don't mix. That's the difficult lesson Reed Harris, of Farmington, learned when he proposed Feb. 24 with a Wendy's Frosty. His fiancee-to-be, Kaitlin Whipple, swallowed the jewel, bringing the couple instant fame.

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"We've been on a roller coaster," Harris said.

Reed Harris gets on one knee to pose for a photograph with his future bride, Kaitlin Whipple, shortly after returning from the emergency room at San Juan Regional Medical Center, where they received an X-ray of Whipple's stomach confirming that she had unknowingly swallowed an engagement ring. (photo Farmington Daily Times)

The couple has been jet-setting around the country sharing their story with television viewers of the Today Show and other news programs. They are in Los Angeles today filming a segment on the Ellen Show, which will air Thursday. They also were interviewed for Inside Edition. That segment will air Friday.

Harris, 22, wasn't planning to propose with a Frosty. "I planned to take her some place fancy and do something romantic," he said, but after he purchased the ring Feb. 24, "it was burning a hole through my pocket."

Harris and some friends were eating at Wendy's after a night of Institute at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He put the ring in a Frosty, covered it with the frozen dessert and presented it to Whipple, 20, of Kirtland. He was excited for her to find the treasure and challenged her to an eating race.

"We were trying to see who could eat it really fast," Whipple said. "I just was eating really fast, gulping that Frosty down."

Whipple ate the treat so fast, she swallowed her engagement ring and never noticed the jewel sliding down her throat and into her stomach. Her cup was empty and Harris thought he'd lost the ring.

"Different things were going through my head," he said. "Did I lose it? Did I get it mixed in someone else's Frosty?'"

Harris and 10 of the couple's friends dumped the remainder of their Frosties on the table, but alas there was no ring. He told his fiancee that she must have swallowed the ring.

"I was laughing. I thought he was joking," Whipple said. She didn't realize just how serious Harris was until he walked her into the emergency room at San Juan Regional Medical Center.

It was only after an X-ray of her stomach that Whipple realized this was no joke. "No question about it, the ring was there in my stomach," she said.

"When I saw it, there was a moment of relief. I knew where the ring was," Harris said. "If I hadn't seen it, I would have panicked."

The ring made it through Whipple's digestive system and was on her finger by Thursday.

Harris and Whipple met six months ago through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They began dating in December and according to Harris, he could not wait to propose.

He is the son of Barbara and Scott Nygren, of Farmington. Whipple is the daughter of Mary and DeWayne Whipple, of Kirtland.

Harris doesn't know why he picked a Frosty, but the choice certainly brought him and Whipple their 15 minutes of fame.

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