Valentine’s Day is now wedding anniversary for Merced County couples

They were friends as children, high school sweethearts and then young parents. On Tuesday, the Santa Nella couple made their commitment official by exchanging vows to become husband and wife.

Accompanied by their two daughters, family and friends, Isaac Zuniga and Kyla Dennison were among the seven couples who marked Valentine’s Day by going to the County Clerk’s Office in the Merced County Administration Building and getting married.

Though only 20 and 19 years old, respectively, Zuniga and Dennison said they’ve been in each other’s lives since nearly the beginning.

“We met when we were toddlers,” Zuniga said Tuesday. “Our parents were close friends when we were younger.”

By the time Zuniga was 17 and Dennison 15, they were dating and in love, he said. Within one month of their relationship, Zuniga said, he knew he loved her. It took a bit longer for Dennison.

“Two months in, I knew I loved him,” Dennison said. “He’s just different.”

Valentine’s Day at the clerk’s office usually is hectic, but the pace of ceremonies was slower than usual this year, said deputy clerk Lea Z. Hernandez, who usually performs the duties. Of the 11 couples scheduled to wed, seven went through with it. Road closures due to flooding might have been a factor, she said.

“We had a lot of no-shows,” Hernandez said. “Usually, we have them back to back.”

Said Hernandez, “It’s just a special day.”

Valentine’s Day honors Saint Valentine, a third-century Roman priest whose Catholic feast day is celebrated on Feb. 14, according to the church.

The precise origins of the day being noted as a celebration of love are lost to history.

One legend, recounted on www.history.com, tells a story of St. Valentine being a priest in Rome when Emperor Claudius II prohibited young men from being married in order to focus on being soldiers. St. Valentine performed marriage ceremonies regardless and, when discovered, was ordered killed.

Another story says St. Valentine was ordered to be killed because he helped Christians escape Roman prisons. A legend says he sent the first Valentine greeting out after he fell in love with a girl, and signed the card “from your Valentine.”

For Zuniga and Dennison, the celebration of Valentine’s Day is an extended affair that includes the birthdate of their first daughter and their 2016 engagement.

Zuniga, who works at Morningstar Liberty, recalled that he planned for a month to create a special proposal for Dennison during their daughter Isalenna’s first birthday party. He wanted to make the proposal “big,” he said, because relatives and good friends were there.

“I wanted to show the commitment I was going to make to my future wife,” Zuniga said. “We already had a kid and I wanted to be married before we had more, and plus the love between us was strong.”

Dennison, a stay-at-home mom, said the proposal was unexpected and she instantly started crying when he asked her.

“It was a movie type of reaction,” Zuniga said. “She couldn’t say ‘yeah’ or ‘no,’ but you could tell she meant ‘yes.’ I was all blushy like a little schoolboy.”

Seeing the type of father Zuniga is to Isalenna and their second daughter, 3-month-old Itcianna, makes Dennison “feel more in love with him,” she said.

To make the date even more special, they decided to make it their wedding date as well, Zuniga said.

On Tuesday, as Zuniga and Dennison exchanged “I do’s,” tears swelled up in their eyes.

As soon as Hernandez said, “You may kiss the bride,” Zuniga tenderly moved the hair out of Dennison’s eyes, and kissed her as their loved ones cheered and celebrated.

“It’s just an extra step to the journey of our love life,” Zuniga said. “It’s just the beginning.”

This story was originally published February 14, 2017 at 6:14 PM with the headline "Valentine’s Day is now wedding anniversary for Merced County couples."