Don & Nancy
How did you first meet?
We met at a Bonanza restaurant. I was a dishwasher and cook and Nancy took orders in our hometown of Effingham, IL. I joined the Navy at 17 and we got married a year after that.
What was your wedding day like?
I brought some of my Navy and Marine buddies from the base, along with 3/4 gallons of Tennessee white lightning. The wedding day dawned and I was very nervous. Nancy was busy preparing the day, getting her hair done along with the ladies in the wedding (our mothers, grandmothers, etc).
Nancy prepared her father Clarence to walk her down the aisle. My groomsmen and I gathered at the church to wait for Nancy and her bridesmaids to arrive. Her thoughts were racing about the marriage that was soon to follow -- she was marrying her high school sweetheart turned Navy man!
The wedding was to be at 10:30am. As people gathered and were seated, Nancy finally arrived in time. Her bridesmaids prepared her dress and got her ready to go down the aisle. Don lined up at the appointed time and the wedding began.
After all the bridesmaids came down the aisle was the main attraction: Nancy herself escorted by her father. She was beautiful in her dress. She lined up next to me and the wedding proceeded. I was sweating it out and we both were very nervous.
The day was very special with over 300 guests and a dinner that had more. The wedding party decided after pictures to go hootin and hollerin through town then back to the reception where the band was playing and food was ready. The moonshine disappeared thanks to some friends and my grandfather. He was from southeastern Kentucky and knew his 'shine.
The large church filled with lots of friends and family make this a very special day that we'll always remember.
I was in the Navy for nearly 20 years, and it tested our marriage a lot being gone so often. Today Nancy and I live happily and still travel, we have 3 grown children, 1 daughter and 2 sons with 4 granddaughters so far.
You ordered a beautiful custom pair of alexandrite earrings! What does this gift mean to you?
After 38 years of marriage, I always look for something different to get Nancy that is unique. June birthdays have Alexandrite as a birth stone. Nancy has pearls and an alexandrite ring, so earrings was the logical supplement to her ring and a birthstone.
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