There was no wedding gown or photographer when Frankie King married her high school love, Royce, in 1944.
Royce only had two days of leave before he had to leave for his military deployment, so the couple had just a few days to prepare their wedding. He returned to their small town of Oelwein, Iowa, on his two day leave and married the love of his life before heading to fight in World War II.
Their wedding day had no gown and no photographer. So 97-YO bride and 98-YO groom recreated it 77 years later
Their daughter, Sue Bilodeau, said that: “He was stationed as a lieutenant in the Air Force… he just got his pilot wings. He got a short leave”. They had been engaged for about six months, so they decided to have a wedding before he was deployed overseas.”
The couple raised two children over the years and remain happily married to each other.
Frankie and Royce still live in Oelwein while being looked after by a hospice nurse, working for St. Croix Hospice.
On 16 September which was their 77th wedding anniversary the nurse asked Frankie to see photographs from their wedding day.
“And mom said, ‘Well, we don’t have a picture because we actually didn’t have a photographer that day,’” Sue said.
The nurse then took matters into action, working with the other staff members at the St. Croix Hospice to recreate Frankie and Royce’s wedding day. They dressed Frankie in a beautiful wedding gown.
Frankie wore a classic 1940s gown while 98-year-old Royce dressed in his Air Force uniform—the same outfit he wore when he married his wife 70 years ago—during the recreation of their wedding day.
Sue helped her mother put on the wedding dress and said, “…It was really sweet and touching, how she looked at herself in the gown. She said, ‘Should I wear my glasses or not? I didn’t have glasses that day.’ And I said, ‘Wear your glasses, you’re beautiful this way.’”
While the sun was shining Royce stood outside in the backyard waiting for his bride and had a handkerchief held over his eyes for the “first look.”
Sue explained that: “They said, ‘Are you ready to see your bride?’ and took the blindfold off. He had just the biggest smile the rest of the day. It was amazing.”
