Love was in the air last Wednesday afternoon, when 22 couples participated in the annual Vows and Valentines wedding and vow-renewal ceremonies.
Organized by the Bucks County Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans’ Court, four ceremonies officiated by Judge Brian T. McGuffin, Cantor Neil Schnitzer and Mouza Gornostaeva took place from noon to 2 p.m. in Doylestown.
“The couples participating in Vows and Valentines have many different stories that led them to our event,” said Linda Bobrin, Bucks County Register of Wills and Clerk of Orphans’ Court. “Some just met, others have been together for decades. One couple is even remarrying each other after divorcing each other in December.”
Among those renewing their vows was Frederick and Pat Williamson, who have been married for 41-and-a-half years. Their story began in 1974, when Pat and her roommate — both teachers at the former Eastern State School and Hospital in Trevose — hosted a house party.
“A fellow teacher invited her friend to the party and he brought along Freddie. The rest is history,” said Pat. “We spent almost nine years getting to know each other, sharing travel, concerts, dances, sporting events and wonderful restaurants.”
The two got married on Sept. 25, 1982 at Our Lady of Charity in Brookhaven, with Freddie’s son Greg serving as best man. In 1984, they welcomed their first daughter and moved back to the Bensalem area. Their second daughter was born two years later. Now, the Williamsons are residents of Yardley and grandparents to five grandchildren, ages 27, 22, 14, 11 and 3.
“We have many wonderful memories together, and today are happy to renew our vows and continue to share new memories,” she said.
Megan Baumgartner and Eric Krumm were among those tying the knot. They met in 2020, during the peak of COVID, after Krumm’s job temporarily relocated him to Rochester, New York for training. After dating for a few years in New York, his job offered him the chance to move back to his home state of Pennsylvania (he’s originally from Warminster), and he accepted.
“I took a leap of faith and moved with him, and we settled in Doylestown,” said Baumgartner. “We recently adopted a giant fluffy dog named Heidi and got engaged in June 2023. We have been looking forward to the Vows and Valentines celebration ever since getting engaged.”
As for Kimberly and Lorenzo Shelly, they divorced in December 2023 after over a decade together. Following a tumultuous year, they said the split was a much-needed reset for their relationship. In 2024, they’re excited for a fresh start and new beginnings: “So what better day to embrace magical moments than Valentine’s Day! We are old friends and forever mates.”
The nuptials of Skip Dudash and Susan Finkboner have been a long time coming. They’ve known each other since their elementary school days, which were over 50 years ago. Though they dated on and off through college, they went their separate ways, marrying other people and having successful careers in teaching.
“As fate would have it, those [marriages] came to an end. As luck would have it, we reconnected after Skip came across an old photograph of us,” said Finkboner. “That photograph led to many emails, phone calls, an eventual courtship, engagement and finally marriage. This particular date has a very special meaning, as Skip’s grandparents and parents were married on this day. Even as we enter our golden years, we both still believe in happily ever after.”
For Ana Melching, who married Robert King last week after 15 years together, she wasn’t instantly smitten when he was hired to work at the same construction company as her.
“Unfortunately for him, the first several years we worked together, I thought that he was a weirdo,” she said. “Luckily for him, I’m a weirdo, too, so we eventually got together and haven’t looked back. We have two kids together, a 4-and-a-half-year-old named Hartwell and a 17-month-old named Quint. He keeps me grounded, and I like to think I’m endlessly entertaining. We’re looking forward to finally getting married.”
Vows and Valentines, part of the Bucks County Clerk of Orphans’ Court’s Weddings for Heroes program, is made possible thanks to community members and businesses that donate their goods for free or at a reduced cost. This year’s vendors and sponsors included Mervin Toussaint Jazz Band, Paist & Noe Inc., Penn Community Bank, Piccolo Trattoria, Silent Film Photography and The Novel Baker.
Samantha Bambino can be reached at [email protected]
