When Bruce and Beckie Maier, of Wabash, Ind., tied the knot on April 26, 1975, they weren’t aware that the pastor never turned in the marriage license to the county clerk’s office. That meant that in the eyes of the law, the couple has not been married for the last 50 years. By the time the couple found out about the oversight, the pastor was living four hours away and their bridesmaid and best man were living in different parts of the state. Nevertheless, the Maiers decided to make their union legally official on their 50th wedding anniversary. Nate, the couple’s oldest son, became licensed to officiate and legally marry his parents. Before their first wedding ceremony, the Maiers had to obtain special permission to marry because Beckie was just 17 and Bruce was 19. This time, no permission was needed. Bruce commented, “I think people in general wondered how long our marriage would last, being so young, but 50 years later our lives and love have been tried and proven true.”
