………………….On February 3rd, 2000, Jac and I exchanged over wedding vows and pledged to one another to be man and wife for the rest of our lives……..Today would have been 18 years……….
It was really our dear friends Jean Pierre Dupre and Andrea Pfister who came up with the idea of getting married in Las Vegas. They had stopped off in NYC on their way to Vegas for an international shoe show. Andrea was a famous shoe designer in Europe, and sold his shoes in America in the very best stores and boutiques. I collaborated with Andrea on creating the Anne Klein Couture Shoe Collection. WE all had known each other for years and years more then 17 at that time . Jac and I spent many happy times in their incredible villa overhanging the cliffs of Priano on the Amalfi Coast of Italy. The Mediterranean Sea was his back yard and the Island of Capri was our view. It was Heaven on Earth. It was Andrea who said why don’t you come with us to Vegas and get married. Jac and I, who weren’t the most spontaneous people, looked at each us and said YES….Off we went to Vegas. I called the Little White Chapel that we had heard so much about, and made the arrangements for the next day. We rushed down to city hall and got our license in seconds. Of course we had to wait on line. We weren’t the only ones who decided to get married in Vegas. The girl at the counter had only one question…..”are you first cousins” she asked in some kind of drawl….Jac and I laughed and said “no’. We got our license… Jac wanted Elvis to marry us, but I said if we were married by someone dressed up as Elvis, I would never believe we were really married. So the Rev. Stone married us in the Little White Chapel, and Jean Pierre and Andrea were our witnesses. Jean Pierre cried throughout the entire ceremony! They were partners in business and in life. When it became legal in France they were married. They were together for 57 years. We went to have dinner at the Top of the Needle that is a revolving restaurant, famous in Vegas…..a real tourist spot. On the top of the restaurant is a roller coaster! We went up thinking we might try it, but when we saw that it actually over hung the building we all chickened out. The next day Jac and I took a 4 seat plane ride over Monument Valley where a lot of western movies were shot and we flew into the Grand Canyon, which they don’t allow anymore. Jac was petrified, but I loved it. The next day we went to Hoover Dam and went on the Hard Hat Tour. That’s a tour where they actually take you deep inside the dam, and you can see where the workers who built the dam engraved their names into the cement. There were actual little windows in the dam that you could look out of. It was fascinating. Unfortunately, that tour was stopped after 9/11….The world has changed, and not for the better……………..The Little White Chapel offered different packages…..funny! We even have a video that was part of our “package”. Jac only asked that we not get picked up in a pink or white limo. She wanted a black limo to pick us up in front of the Bellagio hotel……but we got a LOOOOOOOG white limo with The Little White Chapel printed on the doors…..I said “Hon this is Vegas….they don’t have black limos!” As part of the package they offered bouquets, but of course Jac said NO. She said she didn’t want to carry a tacky bouquet all night……….so Andrea picked flowers right in front of the hotel from their garden for Jac to carry. You can’t make this stuff up. Our wedding in Vegas was a lot of fun and we had a great time…..I know we have photos some where, but I have no idea where Jac stored them……I will have to keep looking in all the boxes and draws………………………………We had memories to share for a life time……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
………………Jean Pierre passed away in 2016 from complications due to diabetes, and Andrea passed away only last week……It really is too much to bare………………..The photo above is the three of them in Vegas having a great time…………..I know that today they are all together celebrating our anniversary………………………………………….Hello Jean Pierre and Andrea……………………………..
…………………………………………………………….Happy Anniversary my Dear Jac, my Dear Angel………..I will love you forever and ever and ever………………………………………………………………………….