Here is a story about my mom's cousin. I really think it is inspirational. How many people do we know that are married 60 years? Make sure to check out the wedding details.....way below today's budget!
Long term commitment to one another is the secret ingredient to 60 years of marriage for rural Fountaintown couple Dick and Phyllis Wilkins. The Wilkins just celebrated June 5th with six decades of marriage. Elmer Richard Wilkins, age 20, and Phyllis Corinne Phares, age 18, were married June 5, 1949 in Indianapolis at Victory Memorial Church on Woodlawn. After about a year of courtship and attending two proms together, Phyllis knew Dick was “Mr. Right”. In 2 1/2 years of dating and an eight month engagement, they were ready to make the commitment of a life time; marriage.
When asked the details of her wedding compared to weddings today, there are not a lot of similarities. The average wedding in the Indianapolis area today is $22,000 (The Wedding Report/ Market Research/ Indy Star), while Phyllis spent a whopping $300 total on her wedding for 150 guests. “I had five bridesmaids (Sue Phares Brown, Janet and Joann Marley, Jean Eckstein, and Margie Whitley) and a flower girl, Carolyn Jonas while Dick had five groomsmen (Merrit Borden, Robert Phares, Don Lawrence, Bob Toon and Emory Hobbs) and a ring bearer, Pete McNamara. The girls wore floor length satin dresses in pastel colors of blue, pink, yellow, lavendar and green. We didn’t have anyone do our hair or makeup; we did it ourselves. All of our pictures were in black and white. I did order my invitations from a book at L.S. Ayres,” she explained. Her bouquet was a white orchid on a white Bible. “After the wedding we had a three tiered cake, punch, mints and nuts. There wasn’t a buffet, bar or entertainment. We opened packages in front of our guests and that was it.” Phyllis purchased her white satin wedding gown at L.S. Ayres Bridal Salon. “My head piece and veil cost more than the dress! The headpiece and veil were $49 and the dress was $49. I spent $98 on all of it,” she added. After the wedding, a friend drove them around the Circle in Indianapolis in a convertible, bearing the “Just Married” sign.
For their honeymoon, the Wilkins went to Jacksonville, Florida and stayed two days. “Dick got homesick and we came home,” she laughed. When they returned home it wasn’t any time until Dick went to the service.
“My advice for couples today is to be committed to one another. Most couples take it too easy. They get married, don’t like it and then they are done. You have to stick to it and share with one another; give and take,” Phyllis advised as Dick agreed. “Sometimes you have to do a lot that you don’t want to do.” Wilkins daughter Beth had several reasons her parents have been so successful, “My dad has always added humor to their marriage. I think sitting down, eating a meal together, attending church on Sunday and taking a family vacation every year have been glue to their relationship too, “ she added .
Sixty years and a lifetime of love is the secret to this remarkable couple’s marriage, with advice that is timeless.
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