CLEVELAND — Members of Cleveland Fire Station 30 saved the day for a Lakewood couple after their engagement ring flew off the bride-to-be's hand into a nearby sewer.
It was a beautiful autumn day for Niki Mack and Corey Berebitsky. The couple were all smiles as they posed for pictures at the Cultural Gardens in University Circle.
“We were taking our engagement photos, which had been scheduled a couple of times because of Cleveland being Cleveland," Mack said.
Their wedding photographer, Emily Ruth, noticed something out of place. Corey had something on the back of his pants.
"So I went to wipe it off, and when I wiped it off, my ring flew off, and we just heard a *ting*," Mack explained.
The ring had rolled into a nearby sewer drain. Niki told News 5 that she kept her cool for the most part partly because they could still see the ring in the sewer drain, but Corey’s reaction was a little different.
“Yeah, I would say my heart dropped," Berebitsky said.
It wasn’t thousands of dollars in gold and diamonds that he saw go down the drain. It was something even more valuable.
“For us, we have a lot of sentimental value in the ring," Berebitsky said. "A lot of different aspects of my family and her family are kind of forged in that.”
Corey said the diamond baguettes on the side came from both Niki and Corey’s grandmother's rings.
“So as part of that, I wanted to kind of symbolize us merging our families together in the ring itself," Berebitsky said.
The couple called for help, and the Cleveland Fire Department came out to retrieve the ring from the sewer.
“I mean, they swung into action and were just extremely helpful to us in the whole situation too," Corey explained, “Definitely gave us the assurance that we're gonna get this thing out. Don't worry about it. We've got this."
Their wedding Photographer, Emily Ruth, captured the moments that day.
“She did just a phenomenal job in staying calm, making sure she can get good photos of the firefighters, and then great photos of us after too," Mack said.
And the ring came out of the Cleveland sewer sparkling like new. The couple thanked the firefighters for their help in reuniting them with their ring.
“We're hoping to send them something in the mail real soon too, maybe even an invitation.”
The couple still needs to resize the ring, which they plan on getting done soon.
Their wedding is scheduled for October 2025.
