50TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY MEMORIES

Where did the years go? 

How do I tell the love story of Wally Peters and Trudy Wedel?

Well, it all began 54 years ago in the spring of 1967 when we were both in our senior year at the Mennonite Brethren Bible School in Clearbrook BC.  It was on our grad class weekend at Lake Elwa cottages in Washington that out of the blue a spark began. I was truly amazed when Wally asked me to be his date to the grad banquet. We had been friends for two years and I admired his character and popularity with our classmates. So here we were both embarking on career studies, Wally at BCIT and myself in nurses training at Royal Columbian Hospital.

The courting began and spanned 4 years of letter writing, a few phone calls, and short weekend dates.

I would be pretty excited when his red 1963 Chevy II would pull up to the nurses residence or at my parents house in Vancouver. Our favourite places  to spend time together were at Stanley Park walking the seawall, Queen Elizabeth Park, and Burnaby Mountain for romantic moments and where Wally proposed and I accepted on August 27 1970.

APRIL 10 1971

My mother, Melita Wedel was so much help in making our wedding day perfect. She sewed my dress and also for my sisters Catherine and Edie who were my bridesmaids. She also baked and prepared a lovely finger food buffet reception together with her church friends.

Getting to the church on time!  Killarney Park Mennonite Brethren Church in Vancouver. 

Very non traditional, we had studio photos taken before the wedding, and that is why Wally walked me into the church and handed me over to my dad, David Wedel who proudly walked me down the aisle where Wally and I exchanged vows before God, family and friends. 

Pastor Herb Brandt officiated

Our wedding party - Edie Wedel, Catherine Wedel, Herb VanBergen, Rueben Pauls

Wally's speech must have been hilarious.

And then it was the two of us and a lovely send off from family.

Wally kept our honeymoon plans secret till days before. We travelled down the Oregon Coast to Disneyland California, San Diego, and a walk into Tijuana Mexico for a day. A rushed trip back to Vancouver where we packed up my belongs and wedding gifts and drove to Enderby. It was the beginning of us creating our own home, raising a beautiful family of four who married beautiful godly spouses, and who gave us 10 amazing grandchildren. AND THAT IS ANOTHER LONG chapter in our story taking us to this milestone 50th Anniversary, April 10 2021.

Thankful to God for matching us up for this lifetime of love.

 

  2021

A little surprise party with our children yesterday

Shoe boxes full of precious memories from 1967 - 1971

So much fun to read 54 years later