They got married 56 years ago. Until now, they’d never seen their wedding photos

“She was beautiful.”

Barry Sharman remembers watching his bride stroll down the aisle in Enderby, B.C., in a marriage gown made by her mom on a heat, sunny July afternoon in 1968. 

“I used to be simply so completely satisfied that she picked me.”

Till not too long ago, he had by no means had the possibility to bodily look again on how his spouse appeared that day as a result of as newlyweds, they could not afford to pay for the photographs.

However on Christmas Eve 2024, the couple — fortunately married for greater than 56 years — noticed their wedding ceremony pictures for the primary time. 

All of it got here to be when Margaret Sharman’s longtime good friend Sandra Farynuk despatched her a textual content asking if she had her authentic wedding ceremony pictures. 

“I stated, ‘No, Sandy,'” Margaret, who now lives in Penticton, informed CBC’s Radio West host Sarah Penton.

“I stated we have been by no means, ever capable of decide them up as a result of we did not have any cash. She says, ‘Nicely, I am taking a look at them.'” 

Farynuk, who nonetheless lives in Enderby, occurs to be the president of the native museum. Whereas working sooner or later, the museum administrator confirmed her a photograph that had been despatched over from the Armstrong Museum and requested if one of many girls pictured was Farynuk.

In keeping with Farynuk, somebody had bought the pictures, in addition to others by no means picked up from the unique photographer at a storage sale. They took the photographs to the museum, the place somebody recognized Farynuk as one of many bridesmaids. 

“I can not consider it. I hadn’t seen it earlier than,” she stated. “Everyone appears to be like so lovely in a marriage image.”

It was certainly Farynuk on the wedding ceremony of her good friend, Margaret, whom she had identified for the reason that second grade and stays mates with to today.

Farynuk had the photographs redone and despatched them to the Sharmans, and so they arrived on Christmas Eve. 

“It was heartwarming for me to have the ability to do that,” Farynuk stated.

There have been three photographs: one of many complete wedding ceremony social gathering, one of many newlyweds and a 3rd picture of Margaret on her personal.

“She cried rather a lot. Glad tears,” Barry stated of his spouse. “She was simply beside herself with pleasure.”

Their story acquired round when Margaret innocently shared the story with the couple’s hairdresser. It wasn’t gossip that unfold the information: Margaret stated the individual ready to have their hair reduce subsequent occurred to be the spouse of the editor of the native newspaper. 

The story, which initially appeared within the Summerland Review and different Black Press newspapers, rapidly unfold by city. 

“Within the pool this morning doing water aerobics … plenty of folks got here as much as me — that they had seen [the story],” Margaret stated. 

The pictures have given the couple time to pause and replicate on their a few years collectively. 

“I simply appeared again and the way younger we have been,” Barry stated. “Marg was 20. I used to be 21. We have come a great distance, and we have had a beautiful time and a beautiful life.”