Photo by Gene Bolinger

We’re celebrating LOVE in the Parks. Our community shared their stories of love in the parks this Valentine’s Day — whether it was a proposal, a first date, a special day with your friends, family, or furry friends, we thank you for sharing your stories!

Last year we would be walking through the Public Garden on the way to a dinner date, dashing across the Common to meet friends after work for a drink, or taking our extended family on a weekend tour of the statues on Commonwealth Avenue Mall. Valentine’s Day 2021 is a celebration of meaningful moments, and our parks continue to be a backdrop for so many of those moments. Enjoy these #MeaningfulMoments submitted by our community.

My husband, Danny, and I were lucky enough to enjoy a beautiful day in the Public Garden for our first look on our wedding day, 07/15/17! We now live very close by and walk through the garden almost every day! It is a special place.
– Alexandra Biega

We traveled from Ohio and I proposed to my wife on the bench as soon as we got off the Swan boats.
– Don Nichols

Before our wedding, we went over to the Common to do photos with our wedding party. Walking outside in the park with our friends and family was one of the best parts of the day and every time I walk through the Common now, I think back to this meaningful moment.
– Amanda

My husband and I chose to get married next to the Japanese Lantern in the Public Garden. We wanted to marry somewhere beautiful, somewhere outdoors, that would stand the test of time and was Bostonian through and through. Somewhere that felt special yet was always open for us and our future ancestors to visit, and to know that something special happened in this very spot.
– Sandy

My husband Ryan and I had the opportunity to have a true winter wedding with a snowstorm coming the day of our wedding … it was just enough snow to have memorable pictures taken on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall. I’ve always loved the lights and snow there in the winter.
– Lauren Woods

The Public Garden has always been “our spot”. Every weekend during the spring and summer you can find us sitting on a bench with iced coffees in hand, with our dog, Sophie. In the winter, we take endless laps around the Public Garden, watch families skate on the pond, and admire the lights along Commonwealth Avenue Mall. This past July, right in the middle of the pandemic, when the term “date night” took on a whole new meaning, the Public Garden officially became an integral part of our love story. Mitch planned a sunset picnic in the Public Garden, complete with my favorite, Lobster Rolls. As the sun began to disappear behind the trees, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. It was the easiest question anyone has ever asked me. There, in the Public Garden, under a gorgeous sunset, we entered the next chapter of our lives. I walk past that exact location every day, and it never fails to make me smile.
– Deidre

As a Beacon Hill baby, the Public Garden was my son’s “back yard.” He took his first steps in the garden at 9 months old.
– Megan

We went to the public garden to watch the sunset before celebrating my birthday. We stopped at a bench to talk and enjoy the evening when he got down on one knee and proposed!
– Paige

My husband and I were married this past September in the Public Garden! This park is so special to us! Despite covid, we had the most perfect, meaningful day!
– Samantha Getchell

My husband and I were married in public garden on chilly but gorgeous Saturday in November 2016. It was second marriage for both of us. We wanted simple but beautiful. It was a perfect day!
– Carolyn Develle

In April 2015 we had our wedding at William Hickling Prescott house on Beacon Street. We took many beautiful photos from their balcony overlooking Boston Common. Happiest day of our lives.
– Gisela Nilsson

If you weren’t able to share a special moment in the parks this year, #GiveTheGift of Membership to a friend, family member, or loved one. Remember a #MeaningfulMoment you shared, whether it was the day you met in the Public Garden, a beautiful day spent strolling down the Mall, or a day with your family at the Frog Pond.