Some places are so beautiful that they inspire life-changing moments, like this Cinque Terre proposal.

When Elliott and his girlfriend Nina had planned a trip to Italy, he (wisely, might we add) decided that something special should happen at a location as beautiful as Cinque Terre while they were there. Check out the stunning location, plus gorgeous photos of their proposal moment.

HOW THEY MET

“We met through my best friend in the great city of San Diego. We got to know each other and took it slow and ended up being long distance for two years while Nina was working on her degree in New York. I knew she was the one when she finally made the decision to move to California. It was such a big commitment to move away from her friends and family.”

SPECIAL LOCATION/DATE

“We had our two-week trip to Italy already booked so it only seemed fitting to propose in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Cinque Terre is one of the most unique cities I’ve ever been to and I knew it would make an incredible backdrop for our proposal.”

THE BIG DAY

“The events leading up to our Cinque Terre proposal were a bit chaotic, but that only made the experience better. Once we made it to the proposal spot, it was absolutely breathtaking. The sun was setting and the weather was perfect. Nina was hungry and complaining about being late for dinner reservations, but that just reassured me that she had no idea the proposal was coming. She thought it was ridiculous that we were both so hungry and I wanted to climb down the rocks to ‘take a picture for Instagram.’

“I saw our photographer Gaia and knew what I had to do. Everything I rehearsed went out the window and I completely blanked, but I managed to utter the important lines. After she said yes, all of the local boats were honking their horns and the tourists around us were cheering and yelling. It was one of the most memorable moments of our lives.” — Elliott