Daniel Sutherland and Renee Shortino

Five years ago, Daniel Sutherland and Renee Shortino were living in San Francisco, a city often described as romantic — quite unlike their first date.

She was expecting him around 8 p.m. but he was watching a Lakers playoff game, so he didn’t show up until after 10 — with two of his buddies in tow. Shortino took it with breezy good humor, and the four of them headed out to a dive bar called Shanghai Kelly’s.

“All of us had a great time,” she said. Was there a goodnight kiss? “I don’t remember,” Sutherland said. “That’s part of what happens to you when you go to Shanghai Kelly’s.”

So he wined and dined her on their second date, right? Not exactly. They had take-out cheesesteaks at her place and watched “Braveheart.” But their third date was a weekend camping trip to Yosemite, after which they were mostly inseparable, going skydiving, waterskiing, even surfing on the beaches of Costa Rica.

On Oct. 15, 2009 — Shortino’s 33rd birthday — Sutherland surprised her by proposing on the beautiful grounds of Bridlewood Estate Winery near Santa Barbara. They now live in Carlsbad, where Shortino, 35, is an executive administrative assistant for Life Technologies, a biotech company, and Sutherland, 32, is acquisitions director for Terramar Retail Centers, a commercial real estate investment firm.

They were married June 11 at the Lake Arrowhead Resort and Spa. Sixty-six guests attended the ceremony in the garden area and the reception in the Lakeview Terrace Room — a woodsy setting that reflected their love of the outdoors.

“Everything was amazing,” said Shortino, from a fun-filled day of resort activities with their guests to the last dance of the night.

—Maxine Nunes, Custom Publishing