Most people who have been married know that “happily ever after,” isn’t as easy as it looks in children’s books.
Marriage can take a lot of work, not just on problems between two people but also on oneself. Couples have to endure a lot of trials and tribulations over the years while growing together to build a better marriage.
Celebrating 70 Wonderful Years of Marriage
Photo Source: Instagram
Recently a couple celebrated 70 years of marriage, most adorably. Anna Behning’s grandparents, Melvin and Nancy, recently went viral when they celebrated 70 years of marital bliss.
“I was literally scrubbing my kitchen floors when I got the notification. I tried to explain to grandpa and grandma that they are famous and grandpa asked ‘what newspaper’ (lol no concept of the internet whatsoever),” Behning said.
Behning created a blog post dedicated to the 86 and 91-year-old couple.
Photo Source: Instagram
In her post, Behning also promised to tell everyone the big “secret” behind her grandparent’s seven-decade-long marriage she learned through an in-depth interview with them.
Nancy and Melvin first met at a roller skating rink in Mitchell, South Dakota. It didn’t take long after that special night for Melvin to go down on one knee and propose to Nancy at a local ballpark.
Melvin wore his army uniform on that fateful day, and it still fits him after all these years.
Melvin would also wear the same uniform when he was shipped off to attend basic training not long after the couple married.
Photo Source: Instagram
Later, he would fight in the Korean War. The couple still resides in the same town they got married in and have since had five kids, 12 grandkids, and 21 great-grandchildren.
“My grandparents have been there for me since I was born,” she tells My Modern Met. “They attended every concert, sports game, and extracurricular event that they could. I was also blessed to go to college in the same town that they live in. I would spend lots of nights at their home doing laundry or eating grandpa’s famous steak. So being this close to my grandparents made this photoshoot even more special.”
Photo Source: Instagram
So what’s the big secret to their long-lasting marriage?
Here’s the advice the couple had to share…
Photo Source: Instagram
“Forget and forgive and make the best of your life situations,” Nancy advises.
Nancy also noted how keeping God at the center of the marriage was instrumental to their success.
“You won’t always agree, 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,” Melvin says. “Don’t bring it back up!”
The photos Behning took were positively delightful!
A powerful display of true love between two true soulmates.
Photo Source: Instagram
“This is why I take my job as a wedding photographer sooo seriously,” Behning said on Instagram.
“Seventy years after their marriage and I’m still swooning over the only 2 photos I’ve ever seen from my grandparents’ wedding day. Love is so beautiful. Marriage is a gift from God. I’m lucky to have them as an example of lifelong commitment.”
Photo Source: Instagram
You can also watch a special video celebrating Nancy and Melvin’s 70 years of love and marriage.
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Sources:
- “The internet is swooning over this senior couple’s 70th wedding anniversary photoshoot” Shareably.net