People say that if you take care of things, they last.
This couple in Nebraska knows just how true that is. In all the years they’ve been together, Lucille, 81, and Marvin Stone, 88, worked hard to make their marriage last. After decades of love and kindness, their efforts paid off as they recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary!
To mark the special occasion, Lucille and Marvin staged a photoshoot donning the same attire they wore on the day they took their vows.
Photographer Katie Autry, who has taken family pictures for one of their children, went to the couple’s home and had them pose in their backyard.
Lucille looked absolutely beautiful wearing the gown she made herself, while Marvin looked dashing in his suit. They also wore these outfits for their 25th wedding anniversary photos. The dress fit Lucille perfectly back then, but she had to make a few alterations this time.
“I had to alter a little bit in the back for the waistline after three babies,” she told Business Insider. “I put a little inset with some white satin that matched.”
On the other hand, Marvin’s suit still fits him like a glove.
Katie said the shoot was one of her favorite sessions to date. The couple’s love for each other shone through every snapshot, and the photographer admitted to getting teary-eyed behind the lens. To witness their incredible dynamic was such a remarkable experience for her.
“Being in their space, you could see how much they care about each other and that’s a rare thing to find,” she told Good Morning America.
The images were too precious not to share, so Katie posted them on her Facebook photography page. It didn’t take long before the photos garnered international attention. The internet just fell in love with Lucille and Marvin!
“They’re very humble and they just can’t believe that many people would be interested in them,” Katie said.
When Lucille asked Katie if she can photograph her and her husband for their anniversary in their original wedding attire, she was thrilled.
“I said, ‘You still have it? And you can wear it? Oh my gosh Lucille, I think that’s an amazing idea,’” she said. “I think so many people saw their story and it was just a breath of fresh air.”
Lucille and Marvin met in David City while teaching at the same high school. Lucille taught home economics, while Marvin taught math, English, and geometry.
They continued to teach on and off while Marvin earned his Ph.D. in geography. When they started having children, they moved to Kearney, where Marvin taught for 32 years at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Lucille retired in 1994 to focus on caring for their growing family.
They tied the knot on August 21, 1960, in a little Lutheran Church in Sterling, Nebraska.
“It was a typical wedding. We had a pastor who was in his first ceremony wedding… and he was a little shook but he did it and we were married,” Marvin said.
Now, 60 years later, with three children, six children, and four great-grandchildren, the couple is still as in love as the day they took their vows.
“We don’t always agree but we have the main focus that we’ve always had, so it just kind of moves along,” Marvin told NTV News. “We have had similar values and so it has worked out pretty well and, I don’t know, we never spent any time considering separating.”
“From day one we have assumed marriage is forever,” Lucille added. “You do what you have to do and by no means have we been perfect in our marriage. We’ve had arguments. We’ve had disagreements, but on the big things we’re pretty much on the same track.”
If they had to give young couples advice on how to make a relationship last, it would be this: “Use the resources that you have and don’t expect to have everything that you might want,” Lucille said. “Focus on the needs along the way and keep the faith keep a positive attitude and do your best.”
Lucille and Marvin plan to use their 60th wedding anniversary photos for their Christmas card.
What a beautiful story of love!
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