This Couple Finally Had a Wedding After 75 Years of Marriage — Here’s Their Secret to a Lasting Relationship
When Ulysses and Lorraine Dawson first tied the knot in 1946, it was a low-key affair — one that didn’t involve an actually wedding. The lack of celebration wasn’t a fluke; it was due to Ulysses being in the military at the time. But seven-and-a-half decades and a gaggle of children and grandchildren later, the pair were honored with the wedding of their dreams on their 75th anniversary.
After Lorraine told her daughter Laverna Sharon Adkins that she wanted to have a wedding after all of these years, Adkins sprang into action, enlisting the help of family and friends. “That’s how it all came together,” she explained to Good Morning America. “[It] was my mother’s wish and so everybody got together.” That group ended up including a whopping five generations of people from across the family!
In addition to getting a chapel for the service, the pair dressed up for the wedding, with Lorraine wearing a full wedding dress (veil and all!) and Ulysses donning a remake of his World War II uniform. The color scheme was yellow and white — two of Lorraine’s favorite colors.
“I thank God for him,” Lorraine said about her husband to WUSA9 after the beautiful and emotional ceremony. “I could never find a better one.”
The pair have also been an inspiration to their loved ones, who see how much work the two put in over the years to find common ground and compromise in difficult moments. So, what’s their secret? “Just like my mother said, [a relationship is] not an 80-20, it’s a 50-50,” Adkins said about her parents’ long union. “Life’s not easy, marriage isn’t easy. It’s not a one-way street, but they did it and they’re still doing it, and they hug and kiss more than some of your newlyweds. I mean, that’s just how they always have been.”
A big congrats to the happy couple on their 75th wedding anniversary!
