When Royce King and Frankie King married in 1944, they didn’t have time to take wedding photos.

Frankie didn’t even wear a bridal gown because the wedding took place on Royce’s limited two-day leave before leaving to participate in the Second World War.

Thanks to the efforts of the team at St. Croix Hospice, Royce, 98, and Frankie, 97, now have lovely wedding photos to cherish after 77 years. The Kings are cared for by hospice employees at their Oelwein, Iowa, home.

For their 77th wedding anniversary, the crew organized a unique anniversary celebration on their lawn. Royce was dressed in his Air Force uniform, while Frankie was dressed in an antique 1940s bridal gown. The 16th of September was a beautiful sunny day, which benefited everyone.

A music therapist from St. Croix played a selection of 1940s favorites while Frankie walked down the “aisle,” while flowers from the patio were put into a bouquet.

Hilary Michelson, a St. Croix Hospice staffer who captured the moving moments of the ceremony in a sequence of photographs, made the couple’s wedding album.

I was given the honor of photographing their 77th wedding anniversary. “I have absolutely no guilt in struggling to remain composed behind the camera,” Michelson said on Facebook.

Sue Bilodeau, the Kings’ daughter who lives in California, happened to be nearby and witnessed the spontaneous activity.

She described it as “very moving and heartwarming.” “I couldn’t stop grinning and couldn’t stop being so pleased for them both, especially for mom, who looked so stunning in her wedding gown.”

Additionally, they made sure to execute a “first look” when Frankie stood in front of Royce with a handkerchief over his eyes. The groom had the largest smile on his face as they removed the blindfold, and he kept it on for the rest of the day.

Bilodeau claimed that her parents had a number of other photos despite the fact that they hadn’t had official wedding shots and had been dating since high school.

The house where Bilodeau and her brother were raised is now the residence of the Kings. Their very long kiss at their wedding last month indicated that their love is still passionate.

By having a special wedding cake prepared by the St. Croix team, the couple could enjoy the tradition of cutting the cake together.

They were overjoyed and pleased that St. Croix had done this for them. Dad, in particular, relished the limelight, and Mum was pleased to put on a gown and look gorgeous. In my judgment, they simply appeared overburdened by the entire day,” Bilodeau remarked.

Several St. Croix Hospice personnel were able to attend the ceremony in person after rearranging their schedules.

Heath Bartness, CEO of St. Croix Hospice, stated to TODAY:

“How can you not feel a wave of intense emotion? When you reflect on what it was like during the first World War II and how significant and moving this second opportunity to do this was, you almost feel as though you were a part of it. There is a tremendous amount of pride in what the organization did, not just as a business, but more so as a humanitarian effort.

Those who spotted the images on Facebook congratulated the pair in messages.