Virginia Couple Gets Dream Wedding After 70 Years of Marriage

Seventy years after saying "I do" in a simple courthouse ceremony, Harold and Frances Pugh finally got their dream wedding.

The Virginia couple, now 91 and 90, first fell in love as teenagers at a skating rink in the 1950s. Back then, they couldn't wait to get married and eloped without the traditional ceremony, likely in jeans with a pen in hand at the county registry.

But after seven decades together, they decided their 70th wedding anniversary deserved something special. This time, they had everything: a flower girl, an aisle to walk down, and all the borrowed and blue touches they'd missed the first time around.

"After all these years, I still love him, I cherish him, I appreciate all he's done for me over these years," Frances told WTVR News from their hometown of Hopewell, Virginia.

The ceremony brought together close family and friends who had witnessed the couple's remarkable journey. Guests shared stories of how Harold and Frances always put others first and served as an inspiration to everyone around them.

"Traveling, riding roller coasters in your 90s, hosting Bible studies in your home, we see in you a pair blessed by God with years of life and the wisdom to take advantage of every opportunity to live," the officiant said. There wasn't a dry eye in the room.

When the minister reached the traditional vows, asking them to commit "to have and to hold, in sickness and in health," the answer came as clear as the stones in Frances' earrings: "I do."

Sunny's Take

In a world where relationships often feel disposable, Harold and Frances remind us that true love isn't just about the big moments. It's about choosing each other every single day for 70 years. Their willingness to still surprise each other, to create new memories in their 90s, shows that it's never too late to celebrate the people we love. The couple's commitment to their community through Bible studies and their adventurous spirit, still riding roller coasters in their ninth decade, proves that a life built on love and service creates ripples far beyond just two people.

The Pughs have traveled a distance together that few Americans will ever match, and they're still finding new ways to say "I do."