2 sisters and their fiancés planned a double wedding in 1966; Now, both couples are celebrating 60 years together
Dede Guesno said she did not want her sister, Donna Rice, to get married before her because she had been dating her then-fiancé, Bill Guesno, for five years.
So, they hatched the idea of having a double wedding.
Frederick Rice said it had only taken him a few months to propose to Donna.
“We told her that we were going to get married in June. And oh, she, her sister said, ‘Oh, oh, no, you’re not going to get married without me. I’ve been going to this guy for five years. There’s no way you’re going to get married before me. So, we ended up having a double wedding, which was fabulous,” Frederick said with a laugh, recalling the memory.
Now it has been 60 years since Valencia couple Donna and Frederick, and Arizona couple Bill and Dede, said “I do” at their double wedding on Oct. 8, 1966.
However, since having a double wedding during that time was rare, both couples faced obstacles to do it.
“And they even said that when they went to their Catholic church to ask the priest the first time to marry them in a double wedding, he said no, because it wasn’t the traditional thing to do. So, then they ended up getting married by a priest at the (St. Jane Frances de Chantal Church) in North Hollywood,” Tara Rice, daughter of Donna and Frederick, said in a recent interview.
Tara said her father had some health issues this year but kept saying it was his goal to celebrate the milestone anniversary.
She added that her parents and aunt and uncle always lived by the “three C’s,” which are compromise, communication and compassion.
“And as I was asking my aunt and uncle (and my) mom and dad, what they would tell newlyweds or others on how to have a healthy, happy marriage … it’s important to communicate (and) never go to bed angry, or you say you’re sorry, making sure you express to your partner how you’re feeling, which is the communication. And then compromise is a big part of that and constantly showing that compassion and love towards your partner is important,” Tara said.
Frederick recalled the early years of his relationship and marriage to Donna, calling it a “love at first sight” moment, but it was not always easy.
During his time in the National Guard, he was deployed in 1968, just two years after getting married.
“They called me up, and I went to Fort Lewis, Washington, and then I went to Vietnam. We had our first child … I didn’t get to spend my first year with my oldest daughter,” Frederick said.
He said it was a real struggle during their first year of marriage. But when he came home, they began to build their life together.
Frederick said the secret to a long-lasting marriage is that you must love each other dearly and be there for the good times and the bad times.
Bill was in the military as well and was gone for long periods of time, too, while Dede took care of three children under the age of 3 at home.
Tara said one of the struggles that her uncle Bill and aunt Dede faced was that they were told early on in their marriage that they could not have children.
“They were told they couldn’t. So, they adopted their first child. And they wanted to have a family regardless. And I always thought that was very admirable of welcoming a new child to your life,” Tara said.
But soon after, they were able to have two more children of their own, Tara added.
Dede said the core pillars for her marriage are always caring for each other, loving each other and having compassion for one another.
“(If) those things aren’t established early on then you can’t succeed in future years when you have little humps and little hills and valleys that you go through,” Dede said. “We have never experienced that, and we’ve been so fortunate, and I just don’t know how else to express how wonderful our life has been.”
Dede added that Bill has always been thoughtful and romantic.
“He never forgets important dates. He writes the most beautiful, heartwarming, loving cards, always gives me flowers and candy for major celebrations, and we travel a lot,” Dede said. “We’ve had extensive journeys that we’ve taken together all over the world, and we just love life together.”
