Vanessa & Ross in Kailua-Kona, HI

Vanessa and Ross went to the same high school but didn’t meet until college when they ended up in the same class together at Louisiana State University. They got to know each other in class and started dating just as the semester ended. The Bride Vanessa Brown, 29, legal assistant The Groom Ross Rodriguez, 30, sales representative The Date April 18 One Christmas Eve, Vanessa’s mother asked her to go shopping with her, and then meet a friend at Jackson Square in New Orleans’ French Quarter. When they arrived, Ross was there waiting to propose, with both of their families looking on. “It was a total surprise,” says Vanessa. When the first draft of their guest list for their hometown wedding grew too big for their budget, they opted to scrap the idea and have an intimate destination wedding at their favorite vacation spot in Hawaii -- the Keauhou Beach Resort in Kailua-Kona.