Kara Hwang was stunned when her boyfriend pulled into the San Diego beach parking lot with a U-Haul trailer in tow and a 7-by-4-foot package aboard.

It was October 2007, and Hwang and Brandon Leen were meeting at the site of their first kiss four years earlier. Hwang thought a picnic was on the agenda, but Leen planned to propose.

And he did so with the gift of a painting Hwang had long coveted in a local gallery as the backdrop.

The two met through Leen’s uncle and dated mostly long-distance while in college. Now Leen, 24, is an analyst for an economic consulting firm in San Diego. Hwang, 25, works at the Lux Art Institute in Encinitas.

They married on Leen’s parents’ property, a tree-studded 10 acres in Chico with its own small lake. Between the backdrop and Hwang’s tasteful touches, the outdoor event looked like a photo shoot for Martha Stewart Living.

A lemonade stand with a cheery vintage jug was set up before the ceremony and freshly baked chocolate cookies put out. After the ceremony, and before the reception, guests mixed their own Italian sodas and ate thin-crust pizzas.

“I noticed every little thing,” says Hwang. “The fonts used, the place settings—I loved seeing all of the little details coming together.”