I love this photo of my parents taken on their wedding day, July 30, 1961.

My mother had just turned 35 the day before; my father was 39. That is my grandfather with the pipe (1899-1975) and my older brother Jay (1948-2011). I love how classic this photo is, and how simple their wedding was. They were wed by the JP just down the street in a small ceremony and then walked home for an intimate celebration with close friends and family.

Yet life was more complicated than it appears. They had met less than two months before, and my mother was pregnant with me. It was a second marriage for both of them.

My mother already had three boys and a mortgage; my father paid child support to his former wife. So money was short.

My father was Catholic; my mother was Protestant. So a church wedding wasn’t possible. My mother told me it took them months just to pay off the bill for their wedding flowers.

Despite all this, I look at this photo and feel so blessed to have been born to such good, loving parents whose marriage lasted 47 years. I’ve lost them both within the last 5 years, but they were and still are my greatest inspiration.

I was married (for the second time) this past summer and let this photo be my inspiration. We eloped and celebrated with just our closest family and friends, and everything was simple and lovely and classic just like my parents little wedding. 🙂 ~shared by @anniedez