Penny Coffman finally got to wear white for her wedding -- even if it was 50 years later.Penny and her husband, Larry, who live most of the year in Hawaii, returned to what they called their "vacation home" in Salina to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary in style Saturday. First on the anniversary agenda was a ride in their bright pink 1957 Cadillac Coupe de Ville -- once said to be owned by Elvis Presley himself. The couple cruised along Santa Fe, Larry in a white shirt and black pants, and Penny in a white wedding dress.
While cruising, the couple shopped at Salina stores, had breakfast and "went through Cozy Inn," Penny said. Naturally, Penny curled up cozily to Larry, who manned the Cadillac's wheel with the cool demeanor of a true greaser. "We got butterflies when we first saw each other, and we still get butterflies," said Penny, 69, of her 71-year-old husband.Later that evening, Penny and Larry celebrated with an anniversary party and dance at former classmate Carolyn Kohlmeier's Salina home.
Party guests included their three children and various grandchildren, close friends and a load of Salina classmates, including four "bridesmaids" who scoured the local DAV for dresses to match the 1950s era. For Penny, it was a perfect way to celebrate not only her 50th wedding anniversary, but the ideal wedding she never had.
"When people say you can't go back, that's not true," Penny said. "You can go back." Rewind 53 years to the day in 1958 when Larry Coffman and the former Penny Sheffield first met at Salina High School -- now Salina Central High School. Penny was a sophomore and Larry a senior. "We met at a school party," said Penny, class of 1960. "He was like the Fonz. He went out with everyone."
Larry, for his part, liked Penny the moment he set eyes on her. "She was fun to be with," said Larry, class of 1958. "And still is." Four years later, Penny and Larry decided to get married. They set March 10, 1962, as their wedding date at Salina's Christ Cathedral. What they didn't realize was that March 10 was the holy day of Lent. "Because of Lent, I was not allowed to wear white, the ceremony had to be at night, it had to be in the chapel and not the cathedral, and all that could attend was immediate family," Penny said.
So why didn't they just change the date? Well, because Penny happened to be pregnant at the time. "I thought it was important to be married quickly," she said. "I thought I would go to hell if I wore white." The couple followed church rules, but after the ceremony they went to Eddie's Nightclub, a one-time Salina institution, where their friends were waiting for them. "We danced and drank and smoked a lot of cigarettes," Penny said. Fifty years later, when it came time to celebrate their golden anniversary, Penny was determined to wear a white wedding dress all day and dress up several of her classmate friends as the bridesmaids she was not allowed to have 50 years ago.
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