When Royce King and Frankie King were wed in 1944, they did not have time to take wedding photographs.

Frankie didn’t even wear a bridal gown because the wedding took place on Royce’s brief two-day vacation before he left to participate in the Second World War.

Thanks to the efforts of the team at St. Croix Hospice, Royce, 98, and Frankie, 97, now have lovely wedding photos to cherish after 77 years. The Kings are cared for by hospice employees at their Oelwein, Iowa, home.

The crew planned a special anniversary celebration for the couple in their lawn for their 77th wedding anniversary. While Frankie donned an antique 1940s bridal gown, Royce was dressed in his Air Force uniform. For everyone’s benefit, September 16 was a gorgeous sunny day.

While Frankie walked down the “aisle,” a music therapist from St. Croix played a selection of 1940s standards while flowers from the patio were arranged into a bouquet.

Hilary Michelson, a professional photographer and employee of St. Croix Hospice, captured the emotional moments of the ceremony in a series of images for the couple’s wedding album.

I had the honor of photographing them during their 77th wedding anniversary. I fought to be calm in front of the camera, but there is absolutely no shame in it,» Michelson said on Facebook.

Sue Bilodeau, a California resident and the daughter of the Kings, just so happened to be nearby and witnessed the impromptu activities.

She described it as being very touching and uplifting. I couldn’t stop smiling and being happy for them both, especially for Mom because she looked so beautiful in her wedding dress.

Additionally, they made sure to execute a “first look” when Frankie stood in front of Royce with a handkerchief over his eyes. The groom had the largest smile on his face as they removed the blindfold, and he kept it on for the rest of the day.

Bilodeau asserted that even though her parents had been dating since high school and hadn’t taken official wedding photos, they had a large number of other pictures.

The Kings presently live in the home where Bilodeau and her brother were raised. They showed that there is still passion in their relationship during their very, very long kiss at the wedding last month.

The St. Croix crew prepared a distinctive wedding cake so that the couple may partake in the tradition of cutting the cake together.

They were simply overjoyed and appreciative of St. Croix for doing that for them. Mum was pleased to put on a gown and look lovely, and Dad particularly loved the attention. I just thought they appeared stressed by the whole day,» Bilodeau continued.

Several St. Croix Hospice staff members were able to attend the ceremony in person after rearranging their schedules to be there.

Heath Bartness, CEO of St. Croix Hospice, stated to TODAY:

“How can you not feel a wave of intense emotion? When you reflect on what it was like during the first World War II and how significant and moving this second opportunity to do this was, you almost feel as though you were a part of it. There is a tremendous amount of pride in what the organization did, not just as a business, but more so as a humanitarian effort.

Those who spotted the images on Facebook congratulated the pair in messages.