NEW VINEYARD — Some guys are natural romantics when they find the right woman.

Take James Fletcher. The way Faith Fletcher talks about her husband makes him sound like one of those guys.

It was his idea to get married last year on Valentine’s Day to make their wedding even more special, the ultimate way to celebrate love. When she walked down the aisle, “it was a feeling of happiness that this was actually happening,” he said.

Then there was his proposal.

“It was so sweet and romantic,” she said with a smile.

In October 2008 they’d been dating a while. She was going to Bar Harbor with just girlfriends, or so she thought. He had a surprise planned.

“My sister was with her, so I text-messaged her,” he said. “I knew where they were.”

As the girlfriends walked on the top of Cadillac Mountain taking in the views, James showed up disguised as a hiker. He wore sunglasses, a backpack, the hood of his Columbia jacket was up.

“My friends said, ‘Let’s take a picture,'” Faith said. “I walked over, but they didn’t walk with me. I noticed someone was coming toward me, someone I didn’t know. He said, ‘Hi, babe.’ I thought, ‘What is this guy’s problem?'” Then she saw it was James. “Once I saw him I knew he was going to propose. I was excited.”

He took her to a spot overlooking Bar Harbor, got down on one knee, offered her the ring. He then gave her the flowers he had in his backpack.

“When I told the girls I work with, they said, ‘Oohhh, he’s so sweet,'” she said.

James, 25, and the former Faith Bell, 26, don’t remember meeting for the first time. They’ve always known each other. They grew up together, went to the same school, the same church. He remembers not being able to tell her from her identical twin.

One day he asked her out.

Their first date was at his parents’ house. “We just talked,” she said. “It was a little awkward. We were lacking in conversation. He talked about trucks because he’s a mechanic.” A receptionist at Franklin Health Pediatrics, her truck knowledge wasn’t deep, she admits.

Before their second date, her mother recommended they make a list of questions to break the ice. “That’s all it took,” she said. “Since then, we’ve had very good conversations. We’re pretty open with each other.”

They share values; both come from close families. They live 13 minutes from her parents, down the road from his.

She’s impressed by how he cares for others. One night they were driving at midnight. He saw a car on the side of the road with the hazard lights flashing.

“He said, ‘We should turn around and see if they need help,'” she recalled. “They lost their battery.”

“Alternator,” he corrected.

“So we went to the shop and got, what do you call it?”

“Jumper cables.”

Noticing when others need help “makes me love him more,” she said.

When he has something like that to do, “she’s willing to go along and help,” he said.

When asked what she brings to his life, he mused that he gets cookies; she gets oil changes. They’re a good team, he said. “I have someone to share my life with, to bounce ideas with. She brings me happiness.”

“He makes me happy,” she said. “I know he’ll be there for me. He makes me laugh.”

bwashuk@sunjournal.com

Important do’s in keeping a relationship strong

From Faith and James Fletcher:

* Be willing to admit when you’re wrong.

* Communicate, talk often.

* Be respectful. Say what you’re thinking, but don’t hurt his or her feelings.

From Dawn and Christopher Fletcher:

* Communicate. Talk about everything, and make time to communicate. “We have our discussions after the kids have gone to bed. That’s our time.”

* Trust each other.

* Be open to ideas from your partner.

James and Faith Fletcher were married on Feb. 14, 2009.

James and Faith Fletcher of New Vineyard were married on Valentine’s Day one year ago. They had known each other since they were small children. “He is very sweet,” Faith said.