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The Unforgettable Night, 2005

Growing up outside of the Bay Area as a child, I came yearly to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk with my sisters, who now live at separate ends of California. The Boardwalk has so much sentimental value for me.

It was Valentines Day 2005 when my boyfriend took me to dinner. He wanted to take me to Casa Blanca restaurant because he heard that it was romantic with beautiful scenery. When we arrived we had seen that the menu was a special “Valentines Day” menu with only a few select items which were all Sea Food. My boyfriend Brian hates seafood so we made the executive decision to walk along the pier until we found something good. We ended up at this little restaurant that served an awesome burger. (I’m a low maintenance girl).

The scenery was beautiful and really romantic. It was already the best Valentines Day I had ever had. After dinner I thought it would be romantic to walk along the beach, until I realized I was in stockings and high heels. Well that didn’t stop Brian; he picked me up and carried me down to the beach.

Then as I looked out onto the ocean, Brian got down on one knee and asked me if I loved him. I said “Yes, of course.” He went on to ask, “Will you be my wife?” After a few moments of incredible shock I said, “OF COURSE.”

Brian had found out that my absolute ideal proposal spot was on a beach and because the Beach Boardwalk holds so many great memories for me, he decided to make it an even more memorable place.

We were married on January 14th, 2006 in San Jose.

Jesse Smith

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