Wedding days can be stressful but imagine loving yours so much you want to re-live it over and over again?
Chris and Roberta O’Key’s first wedding was in 1996. It was during their honeymoon that Roberta told her new husband she wished they could hang on to the feeling of being a newlyweds forever. So they decided to have a wedding every year, all over the world, in locations like Scotland, Maui, Hawaii, Telluride and the Bahamas.
And it worked. This inspiring couple feel just as in love as they did during their first wedding.
They normally try to keep the ceremonies as low-key as possible, spending most of the money traveling to exciting locations and finding a local celebrant.
Their marriage has been tested when Roberta suffered a major health scare 10 years ago after a bad reaction to antibiotics. Chris was told his wife would not survive, but she did. She’s been through an excruciating 30 separate operations and her health has been a struggle ever since. So now, Chris has taken over as wedding coordinator and his bride thinks he’s doing a pretty good job.
The couple were recently interviewed in the Arizona Daily Star and said organising 18 weddings helped to keep them connected as well as get them through the tough times.
“My whole world stopped, but my faith has been able to bring me through it,” she told the Daily Star. “Hope is so important. It gives me hope that, ‘Oh, we’re going to have another wedding.’ That helps when I’m down.”
Chris buys her a new ring each year and Roberta tries to wear all of them.
They have just celebrated their 17th wedding anniversary on December 6.
The couple say the key to a happy marriage is finding humour in any situation, no matter how tough.
Here are some of their favourite wedding photos:
Images courtesy of Roberta and Chris