Jennifer Jones and James Maxwell

Jennifer Jones didn’t know James Maxwell’s name when they attended Santa Barbara High School, but she could describe him: “totally obnoxious.” He once sat next to her at a football game and stared at her, looking away every time she tried to catch him.

Twenty years later, Jones spotted Maxwell at Joe’s Cafe in Santa Barbara. He didn’t recognize her, and was shocked when she described the football incident. Maxwell says they had talked for about an hour when Jones said, “I hate you,” and then kissed him. She remembers the kiss, but is sure she didn’t initiate it.

It took a few months before Jones finally agreed to a date. “We had a real good time — after she got over the fact that she hated me,” Maxwell said.

He proposed last September at sunset on a deck overlooking Hayden Lake, Idaho. “I had no idea he was going to do this,” she said.

Jones, 37, is a volunteer at St. Raphael School in Santa Barbara while she looks for a teaching job. Maxwell, 38, owns Silver Air, a private-jet charter company.

They married Feb. 26 at the Santa Barbara Courthouse. The bride’s mother, Kay Jones, of Santa Barbara, created the flower arrangements and baked a sweetheart wedding cake. The bride wore a white taffeta mermaid gown.

A reception for 85 guests was held at the University Club of Santa Barbara.

— Maxine Nunes, Custom Publishing Writer