Guy & Nancy | 50 Years

Celebrating Their 50th Wedding Anniversary

An Intimate Winery Event | I had the honor of meeting this sweet couple and their closest family and friends for a celebration of their love. We were at a winery in Stokesdale North Carolina and the setting was beautiful! The weather was great too, although a tad too hot for this girl! Their daughters did an amazing job planning their 50th wedding anniversary celebration. I just love a good love story,

Guy and Nancy grew up in neighboring small towns in the northern Piedmont of North Carolina. As Guy told it during his speech, he was hanging out in his high school’s hallway with some buddies and saw the most beautiful girl in the world walk by, Nancy. At this moment his buddy called out to her on his behalf and she ignored it!

Typical teenagers, right?!

But after a phone call from Nancy to Guy, they started dating and became high school sweethearts. Guy decided to join the Air Force in 1970 right after his graduation and during his first year in the service and Nancy’s senior year in high school, they were engaged. Shortly after Nancy’s graduation they were married and within a year had started their family. Guy was deployed most of their early years but their love persisted and never wavered and they were blessed with two daughters.

As a military family they moved around a lot while their daughters were growing up. To some this may seem like a burden but Guy and Nancy saw the amazing opportunities. They treated it as an adventure! As a young military family with children, money was tight. This sweet family didn’t let it slow them down! They would pack up the girls, a tent and a cooler in their orange VW bus and set off to see what Europe had to share with them.

Their adventures took them to Rome, Venice, Pisa, Germany, the UK and France all before coming back to the states, where Dana and Ashley graduated high school in Florida. After their daughters moved to NC for college, Guy and Nancy decided it was their turn at high education. Over the next several years, while maintaining a military career, Guy earned a college degree in Business Administration. Nancy received her degree in Human Resources.

Could this love story get any better!?

Their last assignment was at the Boiling Air Force Base in D.C. and here, Guy would retire after serving for nearly 30 years. Nancy was working in Veteran Affairs and Guy decided to work as a civilian employee for the Navy and for the next 15 years he and Nancy lived in Alexandria Virginia until their retirement in 2016. Now they are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary and I was blessed to be asked to capture it for them. There is nothing sweeter than a 50th wedding anniversary celebration!

The Toasts | 50th wedding anniversary celebration

The following is their toasts and there wasn’t a dry eye in sight! The stories I heard touched my heart. I could really feel the love and connection Guy and Nancy have as well as their love and devotion to their family.

I had to take a picture of Guy telling the story about how his friend called out to Nancy in the hallway. He has a way with stories! Everyone really enjoyed listening to him tell it.

here is more of this sweet wedding anniversary celebration

Cheers to 50 years and blessings for many more!

At a wedding anniversary celebration, I always ask, “what’s the secret to 50 years of marriage?” They almost answered in unison “patients, understanding and forgiveness.”

Wise words from a couple that preserved through years apart and many deployments. It’s stories like this that warm my heart, aside from engagement stories! Love can see us through the darker days and like Guy and Nancy said, “you must have lots of patients” to weather the storms.

A special thank you to Ashley and Dana for trusting me to capture this special moment in their families history. I am honored to be a part of this family’s story. I can’t wait to spend more time with them as they continue to grow!

• Check out other Wedding Anniversary Celebrations here on my blog!
• Venue: Stonefield Cellars Winery
• Cake: Ashley Kraus | Guy & Nancy’s Daughter
• Catering: Pepper Moon