West Greenwich couple celebrates anniversary 20 years after surprise wedding
NEWPORT, R.I. (WJAR) — "Smooth sailing," says Bob Verrier on the last 20 years of marriage.
Bob and his wife, Karen, celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary at White Horse Tavern in Newport Tuesday night. It's their favorite restaurant to celebrate the milestone and just a few blocks away from the chapel they first said, "I do!"
"Feels like it flew by," said Karen. "I can't believe it's been 20 years."
It was 2003 when Karen walked into a hotel room expecting to celebrate Valentine's Day with her fiancé, but they had company. All of their friends and family were waiting inside.
"I was shocked," said Karen. "The whole wedding was a shock."
The couple was greeted by a room full of their friends and family. On the wall, a white wedding dress Bob picked out himself. Karen had no clue she was walking into her own wedding.
"She didn't want the stress of planning the whole thing for a year," Bob told former NBC 10 reporter Ted Daniel who was present for the 2003 wedding.
Bob handled everything from booking the chapel to picking her dress. Karen said it fit perfectly.
"It's exactly the way I would've had it," said Karen in 2003. "It was perfect."
Since the wedding, their union has experienced even more shocks and awes. Bob surprised Karen with a honeymoon to Fort Lauderdale and, a few months later, a puppy the couple named 'Hunter.'
"Bob is crazy and loves adventure and surprises," said Karen.
"I love it. It's fun. It's part of a game," said Bob. "She even surprised me twice in my life on my 50th and 60th birthdays."
The couple says the secret to 20 years of marriage is the 10 years of friendship that preceded it.
"He actually did pay attention for those 10 years that we were friends," said Karen. "So, he knew my likes and my dislikes, and he paid attention, and he just pulled it off."