Love was definitely in the air this past February in Winthrop, as several couples from the Riverview and Winthrop area renewed their wedding vows on February 12 on the green space in Winthrop.
“We celebrated with certificates, cake, champagne and all the brides were given a bouquet of flowers,” said Andrea Rogers, a local real estate agent who helped put the event together alongside Mary Anne Gonsalves, Debbie Martinez and Allison Sheehy. “We did the wedding vows renewal as a social event for Winthrop Village. We are the social committee in Winthrop; we schedule monthly social events for the community.”
They had two ordained ministers perform the ceremony with Winthrop residents Pauline Tracy and Laura Litman.
“Our flower girl was 6-year-old Everly Graham along with Tracy, Monica and Doug Folken,” Rogers said.
Some of the couples who participated in the ceremony have been together for many years, while others have been together for only a few.
“Doug and Monica have been married for 22 years this past June,” Rogers said. “They went to Paris for their honeymoon. Monica was a widow with two small boys and Doug was divorced with two older boys. After their marriage, Doug adopted her boys and they moved to North Carolina to Kansas City. They moved to Florida 12 years ago and love the neighborhood.”
Frank and Bonnie will celebrate 52 years of marriage this coming June.
“They have known each other since they were 8 and 9 years old,” Rogers said. “Their daughter, who also renewed their vows that day, suggested they join my husband, Rich, and me.”
Rogers and her husband had planned to renew their vows two years ago on a cruise. “Due to COVID, the cruise was canceled; however, I still had the white dress in the back of my closet,” Rogers said.
Charles and Debbie Britch have been married for 25 years and were thrilled to be a part of this event.
Julie and Robert Bills have been married for eight years.
“They have been together for 10 years,” Rogers said. “They met in seventh grade and went to high school together, and they reunited after 21 years. They ran into each other at a mall after he moved back to their hometown, and they went from there.”
Rogers and they rest of the committee hope to make this a yearly event at Winthrop.