Erica Contreras and Marcos Nuques

Marcos Nuques’ proposal to Erica Contreras was inspired by her favorite romantic movie, “The Notebook.” But it almost turned into “Ten Things I Hate About You.”

First, their flight to New York was delayed two hours. Then, Nuques’ credit card was declined at The New York Palace hotel. By the time they settled in, they needed to unwind. So according to Nuques, they “hit the [city] and hit it hard.”

They were out until 4 a.m. and woke up at 11 a.m. with such massive hangovers that Contreras didn’t even want to leave the suite. It took a lot of coaxing before he got her to the Central Park Lake for his planned rowboat proposal.

By then it was nearly 2 p.m., when Nuques got down on one knee and proposed. “I was so in shock, I forgot to say yes....I just started kissing him,” said Contreras.

The Tustin couple, who met when they were both 14, are now 30. He’s a sales representative for The Giumarra Companies, growers/shippers of produce nationwide, and she’s the office and quality control manager for Edco Plastics Inc. in Anaheim.

Their September 3 wedding at The Resort at Pelican Hill in Newport Beach, planned by Laurie Davies of Five Star Weddings and Events, combined romantic elegance with nightclub chic — from the ceremony accompanied by a classical string quartet to the couple’s first dance, a spectacular tango paso doble before 150 guests that drew whoops and cheers from the crowd.

—Maxine Nunes
Custom Publishing Writer