Knee Deep In Love For 25 Years

What happens when one proposes to one's spouse precisely at the moment first married 25 years prior? Particularly when one surprises that spouse by doing so with no warning in a public place?

Jim Cofer, of Eureka, decided ahead of time if his spouse, Colleen, didn't say yes to his "second" proposal, he would simply pack up his lunch from and go back home.

So on Tuesday, he gathered family and friends for what Colleen thought was a quick 25th anniversary luncheon at a favorite, local restaurant whereat she used to work in high school. Little did she know that Jim had planned to drop to one knee at "high noon" and asked her to marry him all over again.

While lunch guests were talking to one another and the waitresses were busy bustling back and forth, Jim pulled Colleen into a small, more private space at the end of the table and bent down on one knee, precisely at noon, which was when their wedding ceremony occurred 25 years ago. All of a sudden, she realized something different was happening, and burst into tears while confirming that she would indeed choose him all over again!

Being a bit of a secret romantic, Jim had a second surprise waiting. A preacher, hidden inside the restaurant, was waiting to perform a ceremony to renew their vows. The preacher was Jim Breeden, someone who has known the couple for the past 10 years and now is executive director of the St. Louis Metro Baptist Association.

Breeden, who used to be the preacher at in Eureka, said he would not have wanted to miss this occasion.

Colleen was caught completely unaware, as she had received a necklace and roses from Jim that morning. His third surprise that day was presenting her with a diamond ring at lunch.

The couple then got to tell the interesting story of their engagement and the first ring. Jim, who was in the Army and heading off to Germany, wanted to hurry and marry Colleen. In 1986, he arranged through Colleen's mother for roses to be sent to Colleen. Her mother was to place the engagement ring inside of one of the roses so it would be visible when the roses opened up. However, the roses were never delivered to the house. So Jim substituted by asking Colleen to marry him on Valentine's Day, accompanying the engagement ring with a pair of  big Hershey's chocolate lips. She put in for early high school graduation, and they flew off to Germany to start their life together.

The couple married in a Christian church in Fredericktown, MO, where they both had family and had grown up.

Colleen's maid of honor, Stacey Roth-LaRose, was happy to join the couple for the anniversary luncheon, too. "I think we got our dresses for $15 back then, and we were into functionality, because they were the type that could be shortened to tea length for prom, too," she said.

Roth-LaRose posted photos of the wedding couple on Facebook to commemorate the anniversary.

"We're lucky to have kept the anniversary surprise really a secret from Colleen," said Jim. "Normally, it doesn't work that way at our house."

Colleen said, looking back, she might've waited until they were a little older to marry, but that she "always would've married Jim."

The family had even more to celebrate this week. Ironically, the Cofers oldest daughter, Samantha, married Saturday.