Wedded Bliss!

On this day, fifty years ago, Carolynn Elizabeth Reppert married Philip Connington Sears in serene Peace Church. Much love and happiness to the bride and groom as they celebrate their Golden Wedding Anniversary today.

They were originally planning a June wedding, but Uncle Sam presented Phil with his marching orders and a stint in Vietnam. Wanting to be married before he left, after a harried phone call to the mother of the bride, a family wedding was pulled together in two weeks, in between attending classes at Marietta College where they met. Carolynn made her wedding dress complete with a row of silken covered buttons cascading down her back with a lacy Spanish mantilla atop her head. (That curly head in the corner is the flower girl, Susanna)

Calling on friends and garden club members, the house turned into a florist shop days before the wedding. The flowers featured hundreds of daffodils, bridal veil spirea and lemon balm; from baskets full for her attendants to boutonnieres for the gents, and bunches tied gaily to the pews, with bouquets throughout the house, and surrounding the base of the cake, it was a daffodil wedding with the reception at home. Subsequent anniversaries have been celebrated in their home in New York on what they called 'Daffodil Sunday'. The beautiful cluster of long stemmed lilies that the blushing bride carried was later presented to her Grandmommy Reppert, unable to travel the distance from Reading, PA to Mechanicsburg.

 An overnight stop in Pittsburgh counted as their honeymoon as they headed back to Marietta, Ohio to finish classes and celebrations there. They have been blessed with two children, Jessica and Jacob, and are even more blessed with two beautiful grandchildren, Arielle and Gracie. 

Here's to the happy couple! 

Love, love, love, love.