GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Aside from the actual wedding, for any couple, the other big moment is the proposal itself. It's one of the most important memories someone makes, but what if it didn't have to be just a memory?
Thanks to some creative college grads in West Michigan, popping the big question has been brought to a whole new level.
The moment when she says 'Yes' can now be a forever keepsake with the Ring Cam, developed by Russell Fyfe and some engineering friends. Fyfe said some of his engineering friends begged this simple question about a year ago: "ccan we put a camera inside and engagement ring box?"
Fyfe, who is the web developer and operations manager for Ring Cam, said they were tired of seeing secret proposal videos poorly shot on smartphones. After about a year of development, the product is a reality and paying off in a big way with appearances on national television like "Good Morning America."
Orders are already through the roof.
“It’s just been incredible," Fyfe said, "because all this hard work we’ve been doing and not really getting paid. It’s almost like school, like college. You’re just paying, you’re learning, and finally our hard work is paying off."
"We're swamped with orders," he said. "It's a great problem to have."
Developing the product, the aim was to make Ring Cam as simple as possible, said Fyfe. The HD camera inside can be controlled simply by holding down a button on top of the box. The video is then stored on an internal flash drive.
Fyfe and his friends are now hoping to appear on the reality TV show "Shark Tank." They recently made it past the first round of auditions during an open casting call in Minneapolis.
David Webster, a long time friend of the group heading up the project was the first to use the Ring Cam. He proposed to his now fiance Rachel Hatfield last December.
“I just thought it was a really cool idea to really capture the moment for all of time," Webster said. He's grateful to have the moment saved forever, because they are able to see his react all over again.
“She almost cried again. It was really incredible because it was a really great reaction: It was sort of confused and a little angry, because it wasn’t when she thought it was going to be. Everytime I go back to it, it makes me smile.”
It's that smile, that moment captured in time, that is what the creators are banking on to make this product a national and even a global hit.
“It’s incredible, some of these engagement proposals we’ll get and we’ll be, like, ‘Wow,'" Fyfe said. "They can see it and replay it, show their children, show their family. And who knows? Fifty years from now, they can play back that moment that their lives completely changed.”
The Ring Cam sells for about $200 or can be rented for $99. The team also sells the product to jewelry stores to sell to the public.
