IT WAS a poignant day when a bride and groom stopped at the King William IV pub in Greenfield to have their photo taken…
For not only were Nick and Crystal Kupper celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary but they had chosen to do it in the birthplace of Crystal’s grandmother on her 70th wedding anniversary.
The couple are from a small town in Oregon, USA, but moved to Norfolk with their three children, Jack, 6, Jude, 3 and Avinly, 1, last November for Nick’s job as an aeroplane mechanic in the U.S. Air Force.
Freelance writer Crystal, 29, explained: “When Nick and I married ten years ago, our wedding photographer turned out to be terrible. I always said someday we would redo our wedding shots in a cool location.
“Little did I know that at our 10-year anniversary we would be stationed a mere 3.5 hours away from where my British grandma Audrey Butterworth was born and raised in Greenfield.
“My American grandpa James Elton Lanier was stationed in England during WWII and they met during my grandma’s volunteer work with the Women’s Land Army and married at Greenfield Methodist Church in 1944.
“When I realised our tenth anniversary coincided with their 70th (sadly both are now passed on), I knew we had to take some fresh photos of us while also paying tribute to them.
“I had my hair and makeup done in a 1940s, WWII fashion while Nick took a cue from Grandpa Elton and dressed in military blues.”
The happy couple followed Crystal’s grandparents’ footsteps by posing on the church steps and then stopped for some ‘classically British’ shots, including at the King William IV pub.
Crystal added: “Everyone passing by yelled their congratulations and at least 20 people pulled out their phones and took our picture. What a great memory we made!
“My grandma Audrey was fiercely proud to be English, never giving up her UK citizenship even though she lived in America much longer than she ever did in her homeland.
“Two of my great-uncles’ names are on the Pots and Pans war memorial and I still have several relatives living not far away.
“It was so much fun showing my husband all my grandma’s old stomping grounds and seeing how little the area has changed since I last visited in 2002.
“Grandma Audrey would be so happy and proud to know I followed not only in her footsteps as a writer but also back home to her beloved Greenfield, if only for an afternoon.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.