On Wednesday, February 14, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and his wife, Jamie Snow-Markowitz, welcomed Brooklyn couples married 50 years or more to the Grand Ballroom of the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge to celebrate Valentine’s Day in style and to renew their wedding vows. With more than 350 couples in attendance, there were over 18,000 years of marital bliss in one room — literally millennia of happy matrimony.

“If you’re looking for love, look to Brooklyn!” said Borough President Markowitz. “It’s always heartwarming to celebrate the devotion and affection of these golden couples, who prove that lasting love is alive and well in our borough. We speak more than a hundred languages and come from every corner of the earth, but in Brooklyn we all have love in common.”

One of the happy couples was Maurice and Winifred Fredericks, who met at a Boys Athletic League dance when he was 13 and she was 10. They didn’t see each other again for 10 years, but when Maurice went to serve in World War II, Winifred fell in love with him by mail. They’ve now been married for 60 years.

Borough President Markowitz honored the devotion of these Brooklyn sweethearts with a champagne toast, love ballads from their youth, dancing, and sugar-free treats. Brooklyn’s most romantic couples shared the secret ingredients to staying together for over half a century, and Marty and Jamie, with 43 years before they reach their golden anniversary, made sure to take notes.