Love will be in the air at the city's annual Seniors Valentine Dance, especially for one couple who found true romance at the event two years ago.

Elaine Shimizu and Lawrence Chun, 72 and 76, respectively, were selected as "sweethearts" at the dance in 2006 to represent their 30-member Platinum Seniors club, which meets twice a month at Makiki District Park.

The two fell in love and married in June last year in a courthouse in Las Vegas.

"I think they're perfect," said Lorraine Akana, 71, the Platinum Seniors' president. "We're so happy they connected."

Platinum Seniors is one of more than 40 seniors' clubs on O'ahu sponsored by the city Department of Parks and Recreation.

Clubs hold weekly meetings for more than 4,000 members. The meetings include speakers, community service projects and excursions.

The Seniors Valentine Dance is sponsored by the city parks department and generally attracts more than 2,500 guests. This year's event is themed "To You Sweetheart, Aloha," and is scheduled for Feb. 12 in the Blaisdell Center's Exhibition Hall.

At first, Elaine and Lawrence seemed an unlikely match. The two had barely spoken to each other before they were paired as "sweethearts."

Elaine, an energetic retired state judiciary clerk, had been single for more than 20 years and had joined Platinum Seniors when friends signed her up.

Lawrence had lost his wife several years ago. He seemed reserved at club meetings and always sat with his sister, Elaine said.

And, she added, "there were some other women chasing him."

When members selected Lawrence to represent the club at the dance, he hesitated.

"I'm a pretty private person and I didn't want to, but they insisted and I accepted," he said.

Wearing matching red attire, the couple hit it off while waiting in line to make an appearance at the dance with the rest of the "sweethearts."

Their first date after that was dinner and a movie — "Memoirs of a Geisha" — at Kahala Mall on Valentine's Day.

But they couldn't get a restaurant reservation at short notice and ended up eating orange chicken and chow fun at the mall's Panda Express.

"My friends said, 'Boy how cheap can you get!' " Lawrence recalled, laughing.

The couple has since moved in together at Elaine's two-story home on Kumu Street in Manoa.

Lawrence, who has traveled all over the world, is selling his Kuli'ou'ou home so that he and Elaine will have the money to travel to Japan this year and China next year. Elaine, who has never been overseas, is working on getting a passport.

"It's unreal, like a dream," Elaine said. "Every day I prayed, because I have all this energy and good health ... I never took a nap in my life."

"I'm so blessed," Lawrence said. "Every so often I have to pinch myself.

"I must have done things right in life to deserve someone like Elaine."