Shannon here: Sarah Hanks’ shares her grandparents real life romance which inspired her Historical Split Time Romance, New Creations. Comment or answer the question in this post to enter the drawing for an ebook copy. Deadline: Aug 24th, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Sarah:
My grandparents had two weddings. Once they met in front of Velvet Freeze ice cream parlor in St. Louis in 1959, nothing could keep them apart. Not my grandma’s disapproving parents. Not the suspension of my grandpa’s driver’s license. Not even the law could stand in their way.
Their first wedding took place in a courthouse, and they managed to keep it a secret from their parents for months. Not only was it a secret wedding, it was an illegal one. Back in 1960 in St. Louis, a woman had to be eighteen to get married without parental permission, but a man had to be twenty-one. Considering my grandpa’s parents didn’t even know about the relationship, the two eighteen-year-old love birds were in quite a predicament.
Their first couple of attempts to marry in a courthouse ended in defeat. The judge kicked them out and they left embarrassed and discouraged. Young love is nothing if not persistent, however. My grandma came up with a brilliant idea to doctor my grandpa’s draft card. She washed it, typed in a different birthdate, then dried and ironed it. With the fake ID, they got their marriage license and then walked forty-nine blocks in the rain to the courthouse. When they arrived, they discovered it would cost another twelve dollars for court fees. Only they’d spent the last of their money on the license.
Desperate to marry, they went across the street and sold my grandma’s wedding ring. Not only did it bring in enough for court fees. They were also able to afford a streetcar back home. Their plan worked, and they were married that day.
Afterward, they walked out of the courthouse as man and wife. My grandpa took one streetcar to his house. My grandma took another to hers. They continued living in their separate homes and meeting secretly at a hotel on weekends until my grandma discovered she was pregnant. My grandpa figured he ought to ask her father permission to marry her then. It did not go well.
The story of both of my grandparents’ weddings, as well as how they met, their first date, and a hilarious fight on their honeymoon are included in my novel New Creations. This humorous, nostalgic split-time novel is based on many true events (especially in the 1960s storyline) with a lot of fiction mixed in. To help sort through what’s true and what’s not, make sure you check out the Author’s Note in the back, and stay connected to my social media where I share tidbits from the book.
I hope you enjoy their radical love story.
Question for Readers: Do you know any couples who had two weddings? Why did they have two? What’s
the most unusual wedding you’ve heard of?
About Sarah: Sarah Hanks is an award-winning author of Christian fiction in both the contemporary and historical genres. After spending over a decade mostly writing and teaching Sunday school curricula for churches in her community, she jumped into writing fiction full-time with her split-time novel Mercy Will Follow Me. She and her husband have nine children, a couple of whom seem to have inherited their mother’s love for playing with words and crafting stories. Though Sarah dreams of a cabin by the beach, the family lives jammed together in beautiful chaos near St. Louis, Missouri. She buys earplugs in bulk. Learn more & connect:
Sarah’s Website Sarah’s Instagram
About the Book – New Creations:
Floyd Douglas is a blundering barber who faces retirement wondering if the past sixty years of his life have been a waste. When he’s presented with the opportunity to go on a mission trip, it seems like the answer to his prayers and a way to finally make his life count for something. Now with a series of obstacles standing in the way of his newfound dream, he must decide whether to push through or find contentment in being the faithful family man he’s always been.
Emira has always looked up to her grandpa, especially since her parents’ marriage fractured and left her foundations shaken. Now, she scrambles to assure the man who taught her how to love what a deeply meaningful life he’s lived.
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Get your copy/copies now!
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What a wonderful story. This young couple was determined! I don’t know of anyone who had two weddings. I have tried to talk my hubby into repeating our vows, but he doesn’t see any need. I guess once is enough!
Sounds like a man. 🤭
Thanks for being here, Sarah. Our son had two weddings. The first was at our kitchen table with just him, his bride, my husband, and me. Only close family knew they were already married. Three weeks later, the second was at a wedding barn with all the traditional dresses and decor with around 200 family and friends. The reason was because our daughter-in-law lost her mom when she was 18. She wanted to get married on her mom’s birthday, but the venue was already booked for that day. We did the pre-ceremony so her anniversary is on her mom’s birthday.
That’s a bittersweet reason. ❤️
My aunt had a similar story in that she married secretly when she was 13 then went back home. Didn’t tell anyone until she found out she was pregnant. Had first baby at 14, second at 15 then last at 16. Sadly she divorced at 17 then moved back home once again with her 3 kids.
13?! Oh man, that’s young.
What an amazing story! One of our friends had two wedding right after the Covid because the bride is from Canada. They had one wedding in Canada (not everyone could travel because of the two week mandatory quarantine) and another in US.
That makes sense. I hope both were lovely.