By Kyle Roberts
CHOUDRANT — Sometimes, it’s wonderful to go viral on the Internet.
Choudrant residents David and Beckie Roach are experiencing that right now, and it’s for a great reason: celebrating nearly six decades of wedded bliss.
When grandson Philip Winham recently brought his grandparents back to the church where they were married in 1967, he thought he was making a memory for his family and had no idea what was coming next: nearly 17 million people have watched it since thanks to social media and now TV.
Winham, a portrait photographer from College Station, Texas, planned a surprise vow renewal on July 10 for the Roaches, the Choudrant couple who married at First Baptist Church of Choudrant back in November 1967. Videos of the vow renewal has drawn close to 12 million views on TikTok and roughly 5 million on Instagram, and the story has been picked up by Newsweek and People magazine. The family has also taped an interview with NBC’s “Nightly News,” though it has not yet aired, and have recently been contacted by ABC News, as well.
The Roaches will mark 59 years of marriage on Nov. 25.
“The idea just kind of came to my head whenever I was thinking back on my childhood and thinking about all the summers that I spent at my grandparents’ house, and how much they mean to me and the example that they’ve set for me,” Winham said. “I was like, ‘it’d be a really cool way to honor them and do a vow renewal’ and just be able to experience a little bit of their marriage.”
The Roaches knew they would be renewing their vows and reflecting on their marriage. What they did not know was that Winham intended to take them back to the churchand recreate several photographs from their wedding day.
“As a photographer, I started thinking, OK, if I’m going to take some pictures, I think it’d be really cool if we took them back to the church that they got married in, and surprise them with those pictures and recreate a few from that day in 1967,” Winham said.
A second surprise waited when they returned home, where their friends and the rest of the family had gathered. The Roaches renewed their vows in the front yard.
“It was just such a cool moment to be able to have such a special day with them, as time is fleeting and as they get older and I’m getting older — being able to just have that memory,” Winham said.
For David Roach, the milestone is a chance to look back with gratitude thanks to that strong marriage to Beckie.
“It’s just a great thing to reflect on all the things that we’ve been through in life — the hardships we had, the ups and downs we had,” David said. “We stayed together with each other, and God’s got us. We got through the problems that we had and moved on, and never let a hardship separate us. Instead of backing away from it, we went head on into it. With the guidance of God, we got through most all of them.”
Beckie said she still marvels at how long the two have been together.
“I can’t believe we went through high school together,” Beckie said. “I think we got where we were going together in about the ninth grade, and we had the best time. We went on dates and everything, and other people went with us sometimes. I just couldn’t believe how great David has been all these years. I’ve really loved him.”
Asked what advice he would offer other couples, David pointed to faith — and to a habit the two keep every morning.
“I think mainly you just need to look at the fact that y’all have each other and you love each other, and the Lord is with you, and you can get through even the hard times,” David said. “I think the most important thing is to have a fellowship with each other. We have a prayer time every morning, and that way I know what’s on her mind and she knows what’s on my mind, and we are asking God for advice on situations that we may come up against.”
Winham said the day was scheduled down to the hour, with each family member assigned a role, and that he planned to share the story through his photography business. He posted a few videos to Instagram and TikTok, and people responded.
Then, while he was sitting at home that Saturday working on the next video — the Roaches’ actual vows — the first post took off.
“Within the first day, it reached like a million views, and I was like, ‘oh my gosh, this is actually crazy,’” Winham said. “I wasn’t expecting that to be going that viral.”
David said the response has been difficult to take in at times.
“It’s just hard to imagine that millions of people are viewing that,” David said. “If you read most of the things, they’re hoping to get to the end like we are. It’s just an inspiration to see that people are looking up to us as they go through life.”
Some of the most meaningful comments, Winham said, came from former students of his Beckie, who taught at Choudrant Elementary for more than 30 years.
“Even just them as kindergartners, as 6-year-olds, they were commenting, ‘Wow, I knew that was her as soon as I heard her voice,'” Winham said. “That was well over 30 years ago that they were in her classroom.”
Family in the Northeast also recognized the couple after someone shared the video on Facebook and have since reconnected.
“It’s just crazy to think that people that we don’t talk to on the day-to-day, that are family, saw the video and have reached out,” Winham added.
The Roaches have two children and five grandchildren, which includes Winham.
Winham said he believes the video struck a nerve for a reason.
“I think it’s just a cool thing to see that the Lord is at the center of their marriage — through the hardships, and their trust in him, God’s been faithful,” Winham said in conclusion. “I think people are craving to see that example. When the Lord’s in the center, He’s going to bless it.”
And, Lord willing, maybe more stories like the Roach’s love will go viral, too.
Photos by Philip Winham.
