An Iowa couple is celebrating half a century of love by recreating their special day.
Kelly and Carolyn Gay were married on March 12, 1971. They've been through a lot of ups and downs in their years together. Kelly even faced serious health issues when learning he would need a kidney transplant. Luckily, he was given a kidney by his son. Today, both are doing well.
More from LittleThings: Strangers Pay Mortgage For Widowed Father Of 5 Whose Wife Died After Childbirth
To celebrate their special day and everything they'd been through, Kelly and Carolyn decided to recreate their wedding photos at the very church where they said their "I do's." The photos are a beautiful tribute to the love they have shared and how it continues to grow.
Kelly and Carolyn Gay are proof of lasting love. The couple is celebrating 50 years of marriage. The Des Moines couple decided to recreate their special day. Kelly dressed to the nines, and Carolyn put on her wedding dress to recreate some of their most precious memories.
"At one point in time, I thought, 'Oh it's just 50 years. Let's just go out and eat dinner and call it a day,'" Carolyn told We Are Iowa.
"Then I thought, 'Really, for the number of people that got married the last 50 years, there aren't that many people that are still with the same original person.'"
Sam Hoyle of Two Hoyles Photography helped bring the shoot to life. Carolyn spent three years growing out her hair in preparation for the moment.
"People are looking for good news and something to aspire to," said Sam Hoyle with Two Hoyles Photography.
"What better to aspire to than a happy couple 50 years on from their original wedding date lovingly looking at each other again like it was their first day. Hopefully, that comes through in the pictures."
Carolyn and Kelly have been through a lot in the last 50 years. They have three children and four grandchildren. Carolyn has survived breast cancer. Kelly underwent a kidney transplant, with the kidney supplied by their son.
"I went to the doctor's office and they did a blood test and the doctor came back and said, 'I wouldn't touch you with a 10-foot pole,'" Kelly said.
"You need to go find a kidney doctor," the doctor urged, per Kelly.
"So, I did and they did some more tests and a week or so later the doctor came back and said you need a kidney transplant."
The couple are now active members of the Iowa Donor Network.
The couple even saved the receipts from their wedding. Carolyn's wedding dress cost $46.35, with another $8.24 in alterations. It cost just $63.82 to feed their 193 guests. Flowers cost $131.84. Their honeymoon in New Orleans cost $91.20 for four nights. Gas was just $0.36 per gallon. Their original photographer captured it all for about $100 for three albums.
It's impressive when you consider the current average length of a marriage in the United States is eight years. Still, Kelly doesn't think he and Carolyn have done anything special to make it the distance.
"We got through a lot, but I don’t know if we've gone through anything more than other couples go through," he told BoredPanda.
"I don't think we're anything special. We just found a way to get over the hard parts and enjoy the other parts."
Their love story was destined to go viral, and so it has. The two have been touched by how many people have wished them well and congratulated them on a real and lasting love. They shared a thank-you message for all those who have reached out.
