The couple celebrate their 77 years of marriage and organize a wedding they never had…

ưThey didn’t have time to take wedding photos when Royce King and Frankie King got married in 1944.

The wedding took place on Royce’s brief two-day leave before he left to serve in the Second World War, so Frankie didn’t even wear a bridal gown.

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.

The crew planned a special anniversary celebration for the couple in their lawn for their 77th wedding anniversary. While Frankie donned an antique 1940s bridal gown, Royce was dressed in his Air Force uniform. For everyone’s benefit, September 16 was a gorgeous sunny day.

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

The couple’s wedding album was created by professional photographer Hilary Michelson, a St. Croix Hospice employee who caught the touching events of the ceremony in a sequence of pictures.

The privilege of taking some pictures for their 77th wedding anniversary was mine. There is absolutely no guilt in the fact that I struggled to remain composed behind the camera,” Michelson admitted on Facebook.

The Kings’ daughter Sue Bilodeau, who resides in California, just so happened to be nearby and saw the spontaneous activity.

It was quite moving and heartwarming, she said. “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 the rest of the day.

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

The house where Bilodeau and her brother were raised is currently the Kings’ residence. Their very, very lengthy kiss during the wedding last month demonstrated that there is still passion in their love.

The couple could enjoy the custom of cutting the cake together by having a unique wedding cake cooked by the St. Croix team.

They were just incredibly happy and grateful that St. Croix did that for them. Dad especially enjoyed the spotlight, and mum was overjoyed to put on a gown and look stunning. They simply seemed overburdened by the entire day, in my opinion,” Bilodeau added.

After adjusting their schedules to be there, several St. Croix Hospice employees were able to attend the ceremony in person.

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.