Jessica Marie Gustin, 24, and Zachary Austin Pfahler, 25, are pleased to announce their engagement.

The bride-to-be is the daughter of Anne and Ron Gustin of Ventura, California. She attended Buena High School in Ventura and graduated from Sonoma State University in 2010. She currently works as the classified manager at the Claremont COURIER newspaper.

The groom-to-be is the son of Terri and Brian Pfahler of Upland, California. He attended Upland High School, graduated from Sonoma State University in 2008 and earned a master’s degree from the University of California, Riverside in 2011. He is an art history professor at the University of Redlands.

The couple, who live in Claremont with their cat Squirrel Pants, met in a 3-D art class while attending Sonoma State University. They became good friends and soon started to socialize outside of class. They had their first date at a Dia de Los Muertos festival in October but didn’t begin officially dating until December 1, 2007. Mr. Pfahler won Ms. Gustin over by creating a large charcoal portrait of her.

Last Christmas, an unsuspecting Ms. Gustin went to get her family coffee early in the morning. While she was away, Mr. Pfahler and her parents helped to set up the house. When Ms. Gustin returned, she was shocked to find a trail of rose petals leading into the kitchen.

Realizing what was happening, she begged, “Please don’t propose to me in my pajamas!” Mr. Pfahler laughed because Ms. Gustin was, indeed, decked out in a pair of pink sheep pajamas. As she walked into the dining room, she heard “their” song, Cat Power’s rendition of “Sea of Love,” and was overwhelmed by the abundance of roses and rose petals. She said yes, and they plan to be married in July 2014.