Double wedding couples mark golden anniversaries together

Two sisters who shared their wedding venue, their bridesmaids and even wore identical dresses are celebrating their golden anniversaries.

Isabel Hill and her younger sister Anne Smith both met their future husbands Geoffrey and Ray respectively at evening dances.

Mr and Mrs Hill met at a dance at Hingley's in Old Hill in the West Midlands and Mr and Mrs Smith at a dance in Wolverhampton. The couples were married together at St Luke's Church in Old Hill on August 4, 1962.

Mrs Hill said: "We walked down the aisle on either side of my father, then Geoff and I said our vows first, then my sister and her boyfriend. We were very close, and still are, so it was lovely."

Afterwards they enjoyed a joint reception at The Victoria pub in Old Hill. Mr and Mrs Hill, who are both aged 74, have two daughters, and had four grandchildren, one of whom died.

They also have a great grandson. The pair who live on Corngreaves Road, Cradley Heath, have kept up their dancing, and regularly go on holiday with their line dancing friends.

Not long after the wedding, Mr and Mrs Smith travelled to Germany where Mr Smith was stationed with the Army. Mrs Smith worked for the NAAFI in Berlin, selling shoes and when she became pregnant, travelled home to have their first child.

Mrs Smith said: "Once she was born, the Army sent a message to Ray and he came home to see her, but he only had a couple of visits before he was sent to Hong Kong."

After three years in Hong Kong, the couple who have two children returned to the UK and were stationed in Aldershot before moving to Mr Smith's home city of Wolverhampton.

They then moved to Telford and now live in Ironbridge. Mr Smith is an active member of the Shifnal Male Voice choir, and the couple who are both aged 71, enjoy attending the competitions and social events together.

Both sisters agree that 'give and take' is the secret to a long and happy marriage.