"Kathleen, you saved my life," Gron said to a surprised Hahn.

Outside the carriage, Gron went down on one knee and pulled out a small white box from his coat pocket.

Hahn began to cry as the man she met more than a year ago on Match.com asked her to spend their lives together. She accepted.

The couple met in 2004 and spoke with each other on the phone for months.

"I think we fell in love on the phone before we met," Hahn said. "But I was nervous to meet him in person."

Hahn was recovering from brain tumor surgery.

"My face was still a little crooked and I was just so afraid I'd be rejected," she said.

But they met soon after at a Scottish festival in Pleasanton and have since bought a home in San Jose.

"What attracted me to her in the beginning was her love for children," Gron said. "I'd never met someone who cared for others as much as she does."

At the time he met Hahn, Gron was suffering from high blood pressure, something that plagued his family and had led to his parents' death.

"She saved my life," he said. "She helped me get better medical attention and in six months, I began to feel better."

Hahn is a nurse at Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City. Gron considers her his savior.

Gron was born and raised in Willow Glen. Although he is now an Almaden resident, he knew the most romantic place for that special moment would be his childhood neighborhood. Yet he was unsure how to proceed, so Gron enlisted the help of Norma Ruiz, Willow Glen Business and Professional Association executive director.

"I spoke to Norma and told her about my plans and she told me about the carriage rides sponsored by the Willow Glen Resident and made a few calls for me," Gron said. "She got me the best carriage ride, the best route and the best romantic spot at my favorite restaurant, Vin Santo. There was so much personal care on Norma's behalf. We were taken care of."

After all arrangements were made, Gron made a few additional touches to the evening.

"I put together an invitation on paper inviting her to spend an evening with me," Gron said. "It even had dressy attire and the time she had to be ready."

Hahn said, "I knew he was going to be asking me sometime soon because he was being so weird and mysterious. Every time his cell phone would ring, he would lock himself in the bathroom."

Things became even more mysterious when she read his invitation.

"I was excited," she said. "I knew something special was up. But when the limousine came to pick us up, I still wasn't really sure what was going to happen."

But when the carriage ride was over and a Willow Glen Resident photographer appeared with her camera, Hahn's suspicions were allayed.

"He went through such great detail," Hahn said. "It was every little girl's dream."