Dressed in all white, Dennis and Lilibeth Datu celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary and endless love at the Lewes Beach in Delaware.

WEDDING ANNIVERSARY 

Dennis and Lilibeth Datu recently celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary at the beautiful Lewes Beach, Delaware.  It was also an opportunity to celebrate their endless love and God’s blessings.

BY KAZAD

The Family: Dennis, Lilibeth, and their two sons, Dion and Dale, during the wedding anniversary

Dennis and Lilibeth Datu celebrate 25 years of endless love

DELAWARE – Five years ago when Dennis and Lilibeth Datu invited guests to their 20th wedding anniversary, there was pomp and pageantry. There was a lot to eat and drink. Guests also got the opportunity to celebrate a happy marriage blessed with two amazing children.

Held at the Mariner in Baltimore, the celebration gave credence to the true joy of marriage.  For many of the young people at the event, only one question persisted:  How did the Datu’s do it for 20 years?  In an era when people get married one day and divorced the next, this was a valid question. As Oscar Wilde notes “The world has grown suspicious of anything that looks like a happily married life”.  For the couple, the answer to their successful marriage is God. “God has been good to us,” Lilibeth said during that anniversary celebration.

Five years after the 20th wedding anniversary, the marriage between Dennis and Lilibeth Datu has remained strong, and it is not surprising that they took the time to celebrate it with friends and family.  For the 25th wedding anniversary, the couple invited friends from across the country to celebrate with them. Held at the Gordon’s Pond Pavilion in Lewes Beach, Delaware, the celebration was not just to commemorate the couple’s 25th wedding anniversary but also thank God for making their union stronger and better.

The weather was perfect for the celebration. Although there was rain in the forecast, not a drop fell from the sky. To make things better, the temperature was neither too hot nor too cold. It was as if God Himself wanted to show the couple that He was with them.

Friends and well-wishers, some of whom were at the 20th wedding anniversary, attended the all-white wedding anniversary. Beside the couple were their two sons, Dion and Dale who were happy to celebrate with their parents. Lilibeth was dressed in a stunning flowing white gown. On her head is a  beautiful yellow and white flower hair vine. Complementing the gown is an elegant classic diamond necklace. The necklace is perfectly matched by drop earrings that sparkled in the glorious afternoon sun. Lilibeth’s husband, Dennis wore a long-sleeved shirt and matching pants. Their two sons were dressed like their father.

As the ceremony began, the two sons led their mother through the aisle to the altar where their father was waiting. After prayers and marriage ceremonies, guests were treated to delicious meals in a party-like atmosphere. As the ceremony continued, the couple took the time to enjoy a beautiful day at the beach. Hand in hand, Dennis and Lilibeth Datu joyfully left their footprints on the Delaware sandy beach.

There is so much to learn from the relationship between Dennis and Lilibeth Datu especially when it comes to the role God has played in their marriage.  While love, understanding, and devotion to each other have been important, the binding force is God.  Every time Lilibeth talks about how God has helped them build their relationship for the past 25 years, her eyes well up with tears.  ‘God has been faithful. The Lord made it again as he did 5 years ago, answering our prayers,” she said recently. The couple’s devotion to God’s guidance is again expressed on the banner celebrating their wedding anniversary. On it is a passage from Colossians  3:14. It reads: “And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

Without a doubt, the strength and the source of joy in their marriage come from God. For many young people who continue to wonder how the couple has done for 25 years, perhaps they can take a cue from 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. It reads:

⁴ Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant⁵ or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; ⁶ it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

It is also important to remember that a happy marriage is only going to happen if you sit and talk about things. Above all, as Mignon McLaughlin explains “A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.” That is what Dennis and Lilibeth Datu have been doing for the past 25 years.

All photos courtesy of the Datus.

Twenty-five years of endless love: Dennis and Lilibeth Datu their 25th wedding- anniversary

Have you been married for more than 25 years? What lessons have you learned that will help young couples?  Share your comments and views. Follow Us: Facebook– Twitter–Google+