CITYWIDE With a backdrop of the setting sun and waves crashing against the shore, Santa Monica Beach just might be one of the most romantic destinations on the Westside.
After the Christmas holiday season, Valentine’s Day is known as one of the busiest times of year for jewelers, as nervous men, and sometimes women, across the country prepare to pop the big question: “Will you marry me?”
Luckily for couples who live close to the Westside, plan-ning for the perfect location isn’t really necessary.
“Any place along the California Incline is just beautiful,” said Renee Piane, owner of the Santa Monica-based dating agency Rapid Dating. “When I first met my husband, that is the first place I took him. When he looked down, he said ‘no wonder you live here.’”
In fact, when Piane and her husband got married in 2004, they decided they would renew their vows every anniversary at Palisades Park, where they wanted to hold their wedding but couldn’t because of capacity restrictions.
The best places to propose in Santa Monica are the locations where the coast is most visible, according to Piane, who suggested Santa Monica Pier and the luxury hotels along the beach, including Casa del Mar, Shutters on the Beach and Loews.
“All of those locations are very romantic,” Piane said. Approximately 35 percent of people who participated in a survey by Steve Elliott Marketing Research indicated that the beach is the ideal location for a proposal.
Eddie Guerboian of Readers Fine Jewelers on Wilshire Boulevard agreed, saying that many of his customers who purchase engagement rings utilize the natural beauty of the beach to enhance their proposals.
One of his clients even proposed under water, surprising his bride to be with a ring inside of a shell.
Surprisingly, even a jewelry store will suffice when the burning question just has to be asked.
“One guy got on one knee and my assistant brought the ring out,” Guerboian recalled.
Perhaps the most popular place to get engaged in the city is at the top of the Ferris wheel in Pacific Park on Santa Monica Pier.
What is unique about the Ferris wheel is it offers beautiful views of the Venice and Malibu coasts.
“There is a quiet sense of beauty and calm when you’re up there,” said Jeff Klocke, director of marketing and sales for Pacific Park.“It’s a peaceful setting to be in. It’s very exclusive and private.”
Pacific Park, along with the Viceroy Hotel, were rated as two of the most romantic destinations to pop the question in Los Angeles by Westways Magazine.
At the Viceroy on Ocean Avenue, the hotel is popular among its question-popping clientele because of the views
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 14, 2007. Read the original PDF.