Vows were renewed on Valentine’s Day

Twenty-five years ago this week, local couples professed their love on Valentine’s Day.

The Feb. 15, 1999, edition of The Commercial Review featured a story about 35 local couples gathering at United Pentecostal Church in Portland to renew their wedding vows.

“What more appropriate day than Valentine’s Day,” said guest pastor the Rev. Robert McFarland of Richmond.

“I’ve done this before,” he added, “but never this many.”

Each couple walked through a flowered archway, introduced by name and the number of years of marriage they were celebrating. 

Among the couples were Terry and Amelita Sexton of Portland who wanted to renew their vows in a church setting, Robert and Margaret Brown of Portland who had recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, Scott and Michelle Jarnigan of Winchester who had been married only a year and church pastor the Rev. David Wade and his wife Sue.

“This time I’m wearing a tux,” said Wade, who had married his wife in a small ceremony 25 years earlier.

“What better way to renew vows than to do it on Valentine’s Day in a church,” he added. “It’s a way to reaffirm vows to strengthen marriage.”

Some women wore traditional wedding dresses. Others went with less formal desire. 

There were tears, smiles, hugs and Terry Sexton’s rendition of the song “Keeper of the Stars.” Shortly after the song ended, the Sextons’ 4-year-old son Travis decided to join his parents, a plastic dinosaur in one hand and a “The Little Mermaid” book in the other.

“Repeat after me,” McFarland said as he instructed the couples to renew their vows and led them through the familiar traditions of a wedding ceremony, including the exchanging of rings.

As the ceremony ended, couples embraced, kissed and left the sanctuary for a reception, also at the church.