50 years since ‘I Do,’ times two!

By JoAnn R. Walter —

On a rainy Saturday in late June of 1975, sisters Tina Short Barton and Amy Short Harvey married their high school sweethearts in a double wedding ceremony.

Now, 50 years later, the sisters and their spouses are looking forward to celebrating this extraordinary anniversary together. 

Their big day was held on Saturday, June 28, 1975. This year, June 28 also falls on a Saturday, so you could say it was meant to be.

The double wedding took place at the Park Terrace Community UMC in Apalachin, N.Y., and the ceremony was performed by the Rev. Gerald Blake.

The brides and grooms include Tina, a 1974 graduate of Vestal High School, and her husband Rick, a 1972 OFA graduate, and Amy, a 1975 Vestal graduate, and her husband Jeff, who also attended Vestal High. 

It was Tina and Rick who had originally planned to get married on June 28, 1975. Amy and Jeff had chosen their nuptials for September that same year. 

Interject Tina and Amy’s mother, who expressed her feelings about the two weddings. Part of the equation was Amy waiting until she turned 18, which she did before June 28. The sisters recall their mother firmly stating, “I am not having two weddings!”

As it turned out, the couples didn’t think twice about joining together for a double wedding.

Several family members did express concern about the young ages of the brides and grooms to be. Amy had just graduated high school, and Tina had graduated the previous year.

Amy shared that she had known Jeff since the sixth grade, and Tina and Rick had known each other and dated for a few years.

Despite the comments from family, they were all certain and committed. 

Interestingly, Rick mentioned, “Of eight couples within our friends group, we are the only ones still together.”

The church did require that the couples attend premarital counseling before saying “I do.”

Amy chuckled as she remembered meeting with the Reverend, and at one point, he gestured to the couples and jokingly said, “Are you sure you’re all in the right place and with the right partners?”

The sisters and family members enjoyed planning for the wedding. The sisters addressed invitations together, a florist was hired, and a friend of their mother baked and decorated a multi-tier cake. Two heart-shaped cakes, one with strawberry filling and the other with blueberry, were made to freeze and saved for their first anniversaries.

Tina’s memory is that the quality of the year-old cake did not hold up. Clearly, the cake did not last the test of time as their marriages have.  

The sisters reminisced about their bridal gowns. Amy’s gown was handmade by her crafty aunt and had detailed flowers sewn on the sleeves.

Amy smiled as she recalled, “Our Aunt Norma made my bridal veil from a crown-like piece that she earned as a Person of the Year with Avon.”

Tina chose a dress she fell in love with at Barbara Moss, a well-known retailer at the time. Considered a lot of money in 1975, Tina said she paid $75.

Their aunt also made four bridesmaids’ dresses. The guys suited up in sharp attire from Kline’s, a popular local business. The sisters’ father dressed in a white leisure suit, a choice they said screamed the 1970’s. Their mother arrived wearing a floral dress and hat, along with a beaming smile.  

The sisters decorated the West Corners Fire Station hall together, where the double reception welcomed 150 guests following the 1 p.m. ceremony.

Amy and Jeff honeymooned in Niagara Falls, but Tina and Rick had to take a rain check on their honeymoon since Rick had just started a new job.  

Rick and Tina chuckled as they recalled honeymooning at the iconic “V” Drive-In in Vestal, where they saw a couple of B movies. Eventually, they were able to squeeze in a trip to Niagara Falls.

Today, Rick and Tina live in Apalachin and have two grown children, a boy and a girl, and one granddaughter. Amy and Jeff have two boys and live in Newark Valley.

Some memories are still very sharp after 50 years, especially Rick and Jeff’s matching 1967 Chevy Chevelles. Rick had a blue one; Jeff’s was red. The guys loved working on their cars and, of course, driving them, too. 

For Tina, driving the Chevelle posed a challenge. She laughed, “In order to drive it, I had to sit on a few phone books to reach.”

Family is especially important to both couples, and they have often spent time together doing activities they all enjoy, like fishing and riding motorcycles and snowmobiles. 

It’s that strong family bond, too, that has helped them face life’s difficulties. Most recently, Tina has been through treatments for cancer, and Rick is a two-time cancer survivor. Jeff has undergone three back surgeries and a hip replacement, and Amy has had stomach polyps removed and once broke her wrist.

What else will they do on their special 50th anniversary?

For Rick and Tina, they have adopted a tradition where they read the cards received at their wedding. 

Tina shared, “On every anniversary, I get them out,” and added, “They bring us joy and, at the same time, sadness to see how many (guests) are gone.”

And now that 50 years have gone by, both sisters agree that they would do it all over again.