HADDONFIELD, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — Three dozen couples braved the low temperatures on Valentine’s Day to say “I do” once again. Some were renewing their vows after a few years of marriage, others after decades of commitment. One woman even brought out her old wedding dress.
This is the fourth year the Haddonfield Outdoor Sculpture Trust has hosted the Vow Renewals and Celebrations of Love. It’s one of the organization’s public art initiatives. This year, 36 couples stood in front of a heart-shared sculpture to speak their love out loud.
Edward and Audrey Naumes are celebrating a quarter-century of marriage this year. They said they were renewing their vows in Haddonfield for the second time.
“We want to come every year until we are the oldest,” Edward said.
Dana Reganata wore her old wedding dress while she and her husband of 30 years, David Huehnergarth, renewed their vows.
“I again take you to be my best friend and partner in life,” she said.
The two reminisced about the day they met, when they bumped into each other while passing through a revolving door.
“I told him my first name. We walked to the corner,” said Reganata. “And by the end of the day, he called the receptionist to say ‘I’m looking for a Dana.’”
“And I knew, walking just down one block with her, that she was different and special,” Huehnergarth said.
They offered some advice for a healthy marriage.
“You stick together, through thick and thin,” Reganata said.
“And you put the other person first,” Huehnergarth said.
Nora McClarren from Bensalem said she and her husband Francis have made the best of it through 57 years of marriage.
“I cried then, and I cried this time,” she said.
She shared her own pro tip: “Let him think he’s the boss,” Nora said. “It works.”
Any couples who missed out can try again next year. But the heart-shaped sculpture sits on the Kings Highway all year round. There is always a chance get a selfie with the one you love — and in warmer weather, too.