A wedding, anniversary and birthday celebration

When friends and members of the Ford family gathered at the Knutsford Court Hotel on Sunday, December 29, it was to celebrate not one, but three occasions - a wedding (reaffirmation of wedding vows), a 39-year anniversary, and a birthday.

As Linval and Sheila Ford celebrated their 39th wedding anniversary, they had a lot of advice to give to their youngest son Romar, who was celebrating his 30th birthday and reaffirming his vows to his wife, Sherene Brown, whom he married on July 27th.

Ford and Brown met when she moved in next door to him, but their relationship changed and intensified when they both began working at the Marriott Hotel in Alabama.

"She just opened my eyes to certain things in life and, in terms of my long-term goals, I knew she was the one for me," Ford told Outlook. The two wed in a simple ceremony in the United States. Now with friends and family home for the holidays, it was the perfect opportunity to celebrate their union.

Ford's parents, however, met under very different circumstances in 1972. Sheila (then Thompson) was a student at Caenwood College when Linval came by to visit a friend. It was love at first sight. He was instantly captivated by her "full hips and full lips". The couple got married in 1974, and after three decades and three children, Linval still makes Sheila blush and smile.

The ceremony was punctuated with bursts of laughter as stories and a video presentation were shared of the couple from their wedding day in the 1970s to their most recent anniversary celebration. At the end of it all, Linval told his son that marriage is not easy, but Sheila has always been his best friend.

It was a happy occasion for all the Fords as they laughed and danced the night away with their family and friends.