RICHMOND, Calif. - July 21, 2003 - High-flying tech executive Renee d'Ouville (that's little d not big D) is officially engaged to Star Wars aficionado and UI expert David Cullinan.

Sources close to the couple say Mr. Cullinan proposed on a windy stretch of the California coastline with an über-carat diamond solitaire set in platinum, which is highly coveted by Renee's female colleagues. Although the marriage proposal was muffled by the sound of high winds and squawking seagulls above, d'Ouville responded, "YES! But you promise to keep doing all the cooking, right?"

Friends of the couple are concerned about the logistics of planning a December wedding, given d'Ouville's 24/7 work schedule. "I've had my one-on-one rescheduled seven times, and I don't even work for her!" said a close friend of d'Ouville (who declined to give her name). "I don't know how she's going to get herself ready, let alone plan a party for over 100 people."

Friends say "it's a match made in heaven," though they express one area of concern. "I still don't understand how Renee's ceramics collection can mesh with David's action figures," said the landlord of the couple's San Francisco flat. "I believe they've negotiated an agreement for the short term, but I wouldn't bet on the action figures over the long haul."

George Lucas could not be reached for comment.

The two met while working for Exemplary, a Bay Area provider of technology-based solutions that enable businesses to streamline their supply-chain. A former Exemplary spokesperson (who now works in the Microsoft mailroom) said, "We couldn't be happier for Renee and David - we all knew it was just a matter of time!"

d'Ouville is a graduate of UC Davis in biochemistry who traded in her career in the solid and respectable field of assay testing for the love-'em-and-leave-'em lifestyle of Silicon Valley. Cullinan is a graduate of Stanford with honors in Drama. Both grew up in Illinois, where they plan to have the first of several wedding celebrations.

Although family members couldn't be reached for comment, it is believed the wedding ceremony will be a private occasion with lots of good wine and good friends who pretty much just want to attend the reception. Wedding planners Colin Cowie, Martha Stewart and Martin Short have all submitted RFPs for the rights to orchestrate the bi-state ceremonies.

Continuing their northern migration, the couple plans to settle in Marin County sometime in 2004. Friends speculate that the new home will require extra bedrooms for familial expansion.