A pair of grandparents recreated popular wedding photos, and it's adorable.
This is marriage done right.
Shalyn Nelson's grandparents, Joe Ray and Billie Wanda Johnson, have been married for 65 years.
A couple of years ago, the 30-year-old photographer asked her Papaw, 86, and Mamaw, 83, to indulge her by participating in an adorable photo shoot. Now, the heartwarming photos are going viral.
This wasn't just your typical dress-up, stand-and-smile routine, either — it was a fun and playful shoot. Shalyn had her grandparents re-create today's most popular wedding photos (any Pinterest board about wedding-day poses will quickly confirm this), and the results were adorable.
Shalyn grew up next-door to her grandparents. She didn't have much of a father figure around, but she says Papaw and Mamaw filled that void throughout her life with their love and endless support.
"They have taught me the true meaning of marriage," Shalyn says. "No marriage is perfect, and my grandparents will be the first to tell you that. But they never gave up."
Mamaw and Papaw met when she was in high school and he was in college.
Their families knew each other. He asked to drive her home one day, and then asked to take her out. Young and in love, they got engaged in 1950 after just two years of dating while he finished college and got a job.
Papaw planted a rose bush outside the couple's window when they built their house on Hidden Lake Ranch in Jewett, Texas. "Billie Wanda is the rose of my life ... but it does have a few thorns here and there," Papaw said, laughing.
Photo by Shalyn Nelson/Love, The Nelsons.
Here are 21 beautiful pics celebrating Papaw and Mamaw's life together that will make you believe in love.
1. Just look at these two. That's amoré!
Photo by Shalyn Nelson/Love, The Nelsons, used with permission.
2. Papaw gets playful with the "I caught the bouquet" pose.
Photo by Shalyn Nelson/Love, The Nelsons, used with permission.
3. Isn't a kiss on the forehead always the sweetest?
Photo by Shalyn Nelson/Love, The Nelsons, used with permission.
4. "Walking through life together, but the trail's getting short," Papaw tells Shalyn.
Photo by Shalyn Nelson/Love, The Nelsons, used with permission.
5. You gotta have a shot of the radiant bride in her full, beautiful splendor.
Photo by Shalyn Nelson/Love, The Nelsons, used with permission.
6. A glimpse of a touching love letter Papaw wrote to his bride.
Photo by Shalyn Nelson/Love, The Nelsons, used with permission.
7. Can't you just feel the love between these two?
Photo by Shalyn Nelson/Love, The Nelsons, used with permission.
8. This "almost-kiss" shot is a must for every wedding photographer.
Photo by Shalyn Nelson/Love, The Nelsons, used with permission.
9. The happy couple posing with the letters they wrote to each other.
Photo by Shalyn Nelson/Love, The Nelsons, used with permission.
10. An homage to Billie Wanda, the rose of his life.
Photo by Shalyn Nelson/Love, The Nelsons, used with permission.
11. The blushing bride is simply gorgeous.
Photo by Shalyn Nelson/Love, The Nelsons, used with permission.
12. How cute is this pose right before the bride and groom see each other for the first time?
Photo by Shalyn Nelson/Love, The Nelsons, used with permission.
13. Peek-a-boo!
Photo by Shalyn Nelson/Love, The Nelsons, used with permission.
14. You can't argue with that nuzzling.
Photo by Shalyn Nelson/Love, The Nelsons, used with permission.
15. And the veil-over-the-heads shot is also a must on any wedding photographer's list. Nailed it.
Photo by Shalyn Nelson/Love, The Nelsons, used with permission.
16. You can't forget a close-up photo of the couple's hands wearing their wedding bands. The wrinkles add character.
Photo by Shalyn Nelson/Love, The Nelsons, used with permission.
17. As giddy as they must have been on their actual wedding day.
Photo by Shalyn Nelson/Love, The Nelsons, used with permission.
18. We now pronounce you man and wife, still — after 65 years.
Photo by Shalyn Nelson/Love, The Nelsons, used with permission.
19. You may now kiss the bride ... again!
Photo by Shalyn Nelson/Love, The Nelsons, used with permission.
20. May you continue to only have eyes for each other.
Photo by Shalyn Nelson/Love, The Nelsons, used with permission.
21. And live happily ever after.
Photo by Shalyn Nelson/Love, The Nelsons, used with permission.
Marriage is tough. Celebrating 65 years together is an amazing milestone.
While marriage isn't for everyone, Mamaw and Papaw are wonderful role models for those who do choose to walk down the aisle with their eyes and their hearts wide open.
They're a great example of the beautiful things that can happen if you choose to embark on that crazy roller coaster ride filled with ups and downs and twists and turns that marriage guarantees.
"Everybody can't always have their own way. There has to be a little give and take," Mamaw advises. "Just have good common sense."




American portion sizes are colossal.
Tax shouldn't be a not-so-fun surprise at the end of your shopping trip.
A trip to the doctor shouldn't break the bank.
This totally isn't weird at all. Right?
It's a choice.
America loves extra sugar in savory foods.
Princess Odette Girl GIF by The Swan Princess
Rose GIF
sailor moon GIF
river phoenix 80s GIF 
All of this will be ours one day. Yay.
Elderly woman with white hair on phone, sharing a story about a dead person her child has never met.
Surprised elderly man in blue shirt against a yellow background.
Elderly woman in pink shirt using a smartphone on a garden swing.
TV for waking. TV for sleep.
Elderly man using a magnifying glass to read a piece of mail
Mom is totally humiliated after her kindergartner tells the teacher what she does for work
She was clearly mortified.
A mom is embarrassed by her child.
One of the great joys and stresses of parenting is that you never know what will come out of your child’s mouth. When you have young, inquisitive kids, they can say really inappropriate things to people without realizing they were being rude or possibly offensive. TikTok influencer Aurora McCausland (@auroramccausland), known for her DIY cleaning tips, recently told a funny story on the platform about how her son believes she makes a living. The problem was that she heard about it from her child's teacher.
Mom is embarrassed by her child
“The other day, I went and picked my five year old up from school and when I get to his classroom his teacher pulls me inside and says, ‘Hey, today he wanted to tell us about what Mommy does for work and said that Mommy makes videos in her bedroom but only when I'm [he’s] not at home,” McCausland recalled.
Given her body language while telling the story, McCausland was clearly mortified after hearing what her child said to his teacher. It makes it look like she may be posting videos to adult sites while her child is at school, which most people wouldn’t want their son’s teacher to know about.
The good news is that another teacher was there to clarify the young boy's comments by adding, “I think she makes TikTok videos.” The uncomfortable situation was a great invitation to chat with her son about what she does for a living. “So I have to have a conversation with my son about how he tells people what I do for work,” she finished her video.
The funny video went viral, earning over 1.7 million views on TikTok, and inspired many people to share the times when their children had funny ways of explaining their careers. The commenters were a great reminder to parents everywhere that if your child says something embarrassing, it's ok, just about everyone has been through it.
Moms share their most embarrassing moments
A lot of parents spoke up in the comments to show McCausland that she's not the only one to feel embarrassed in front of her child's teacher.
"My son told everyone that we were homeless (because we don’t own our home, we rent)," KBR wrote.
"I work in ortho.. my daughter told her teacher I steal people's knees bc she heard me talking to my husband about a knee replacement," Aingeal wrote.
"My son told a teacher we were living in our car over the summer. Camping. We went camping," Kera wrote.
"In kinder, my son thought Red Bull was alcohol and told his teacher I liked to have beer on the way to school," Ashley wrote.
My niece told her teacher her mom and dad work at the wh*re house. They work at the courthouse," Ellis wrote.
"My husband works as a table games dealer at a casino. Kindergartener, 'Daddy's a Dealer!' We now start every school year clearly stating he works at the casino," CMAC
"My son said we lived in a crack house…There’s a tiny chip in the wall from the doorknob," KNWerner wrote.
"My dad is a hospice chaplain and officiates a lot of funerals. My son and nephew were asked by their preschool teacher if their papa was retired or had a job. They told her his job was to kill people," Tiffyd wrote.
"My son said "my dad left me and I'm all alone" to a random person at the zoo. My husband was just at work," Shelby.
"I am now in my 70s. In my gradeschool, during the McCarthy era, I told my teacher my dad was a communist. He was an economist," Crackerbelly wrote.
"In Kindergarten, my daughter told her teacher that mommy drinks and drives all the time. Coffee. From Starbucks," Jessica wrote.
"Well I once told my kindergarden teacher a man climbs over our fence to visit my mom when her husband is not home... It was a handy man who came to fix gates when they were stuck," Annie wrote.
Ultimately, McCausland’s story is a fun reminder of how children see things through their own unique lens and, with total innocence, can say some of the funniest things. It’s also a great warning to parents everywhere: if you aren’t clear with your kids about what you do for a living, you may be setting yourself up for a very embarrassing misunderstanding. So, even if you think they know what you do ask them as see what they say, you could save yourself from a lot of embarrassment.
This article originally appeared last year and has been updated.