Woman Celebrates 70th Wedding Anniversary With Husband By Wearing Her Original Wedding Dress

Jul 19, 2022 by apost team

True love is timeless. Teenage sweethearts Nancy and Melvin Lubber celebrated 70 years of marriage with a romantic photoshoot shot by their youngest granddaughter, Anna. Anna retold her grandparents one of kind love story on her site, AnnaBehning.com. According to the site, the couple met as teenagers at a local skating rink in Mitchell, South Dakota. They wed on Jan. 6, 1952, at the First Lutheran Church in Mitchell, South Dakota. Nancy was 16 years old while Melvin was 20. 

On the special day, Nancy wore a $35 dress from Jarold's Shop, a dress shop within their hometown. She paired her simple white lace dress with a veil that cost $15. Nancy completed the effortless look with a bouquet of red roses. But their long marriage did not come without comprise. Melvin was shipped off to basic training shortly after their blissful wedding day. He returned briefly before being called to serve in the Korean War as a tank commander for eight months. According to AnnaBehning.com, the newlyweds' primary form of communication during Melvin's time in the army was through letters.  

Fast forward seven decades, and the two lovebirds now have five children; Duane, Lori, Dee Dee, Dawn, and Melissa, who gave them 12 grandchildren, and 21 great-grandchildren. The South Dakota natives celebrated their 70th anniversary with a unique photoshoot in the family garden. Their granddaughter, Anna, who works as a professional wedding photographer, captured the photoshoot. Anna took to social media to share her grandparents' love that withstood the test of time and their secrets to a healthy marriage. 

Anna Behning shared with Carter News Agency that it was her idea for her grandmother, Nancy, to wear her original wedding dress for 1952, per Insider.

"My grandparents only have a couple of photos from their wedding day," Anna said. "I came up with the idea to take photos of Grandma in her dress, and then my mom, Melissa, found Grandpa's Korean War Army suit for him to wear."

Nancy was thrilled that she could still fit her wedding dress after so many years. 

"My dress was something special and I loved it, so I just preserved it and kept it all these years," she said. "It felt really good to wear it again, and we had fun reminiscing about our wedding day, and the photo shoot was a lot of fun."

Although Melvin often jokes that he retrieved their wedding rings from a gumball machine. Melvin came clean to his youngest daughter Melissa and told her that their rings were purchased from Knodel Jewelry in Mitchell, SD, according to AnnaBehning.com.

For Melvin, seeing his wife in the same dress she wore on their wedding day 70 years ago brought back fond memories.

"Oh boy that certainly brought back some good memories," he recalled.

With a lifetime of memories together, the couple shared their secrets to a healthy and lasting marriage.

"Forget and forgive," Nancy stated. "And make the best of your life situations."

"You won't always agree," Melvin chimed in. "Sometimes you have a disagreement, but when you have one of those you sit down and talk about it and come up with an answer — and once it's resolved, don't bring it back up."

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Would you take Nancy and Melvin's advice on maintaining a healthy marriage? What is some advice you can give about the secrets of last love? Let us know! And be sure to pass this along to your friend and family so everyone knows how stunning Nancy looks in her original wedding dress!