Wife Works With Former Photographer To Surprise Husband With Wedding Photo Recreation 50 Years Later

Jan 19, 2023 by apost team

The camera is perhaps one of the greatest inventions of mankind, making it possible for people to immortalize some of the most precious moments in their lives through photographs. There are moments in life that will make you want to look back on again and again – especially those that change your life forever. 

For parents, it could be a photo of the birth of their baby or the various milestones of their child growing up. For lovers, it could be the first time they met or even the day they got married, signaling the start of their road to forever. 

If you’re wondering why some people look at photo albums or phone galleries when they’re feeling down, that’s because these photos evoke happy memories. Photographs simply allow people to transport to different points in time in the comforts of wherever they may be.

One couple from Des Moines, Iowa, Kelly and Carolyn Gay, exchanged wedding vows more than 50 years ago. To mark their golden anniversary as a couple, Carolyn thought it would be fun to recreate their breathtaking wedding photo in March 2021 – and it was three years in the making, according to WLNS. Well, it made sense since she had to grow back her hair in order to make it happen.  

Kelly said the photo shoot was the only secret Carolyn kept from him throughout their 50-year marriage.

"We've been married 50 years and she's probably kept one secret for me and this was it," Kelly told WQAD.

Carolyn simply knew not many couples last for five decades together, so it made sense to her to mark the milestone in their relationship on their most special day.

"At one point in time, I thought, ‘Oh it's just 50 years. Let's just go out and eat dinner and call it a day,'" Carolyn said. "Then I thought, 'Really, for the number of people that got married the last 50 years, there aren't that many people that are still with the same original person."

The photographer who took the stunning photo, Sam Hoyle, said the photo shoot could also serve as inspiration for other couples to further strengthen their relationships and aspire to last that long.

"People are looking for good news and something to aspire to," Hoyle said. "What better to aspire to than a happy couple 50 years on from their original wedding date lovingly looking at each other again like it was their first day. Hopefully, that comes through in the pictures,” he added.

Kelly admitted that he didn’t expect their marriage to last that long – not because they don’t have a strong foundation as a couple or that they have a rocky relationship but because he encountered a health scare in the past. He recalled the moment he was told that he needed to undergo a kidney transplant.  

"I went to the doctor's office and they did a blood test and the doctor came back and said, 'I wouldn't touch you with a 10-foot pole,'" Kelly said. "He said, 'You need to go find a kidney doctor.' So, I did and they did some more tests and a week or so later the doctor came back and said you need a kidney transplant."

Thankfully, their son donated his kidney to Kelly.

"You really don't realize how important this is," Kelly said. "You don't realize how life-changing an organ transplant would be. I would not be here."

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