COVINGTON, Ky. – Several couples in northern Kentucky took advantage of Valentine's Day to make the ultimate commitment, and in some cases, reestablish commitments they’ve already made.
One of those couples, Dean and Susi Baker, made it very clear that after 34 years of marriage, they’re still crazy about each other.
“He’s still the sexiest man I know,” Susi said of her husband while they were standing under an altar at the Justice of the Peace office in Covington.
The Bakers renewed their marriage vows for the second time on Tuesday.
“Thirty-four years, and 34 more to go,” Susi said to Dean, who replied, “Thank you for 34 of the happiest years of my life.”
They opted to have the ceremony on a day that’s already romantic to most people, but is even more special to them.
“Best day in the world to get married,” Susi said. “We decided to originally get married on a Tuesday in 1989. Because Dean said to pick a day he’d never forget. And how do you forget Valentine's day?”
Dean chimed in, “It worked. I haven’t forgotten one anniversary since we got married.”
Susi said some of her friends were originally skeptical when she and her then-fiance picked Valentine’s Day.
“They said, ‘well that sucks. You only get one present.’ And I said, ‘no, but I’ll always get one really good present.’ Besides, I got the best present of all on Valentine's Day: my husband,” she said.
The second vow renewal was officiated by the same man who did the couple’s first renewal in 2004. Justice of the Peace, and Kenton County Magistrate, Stephen Hoffman is known around northern Kentucky as someone who will marry couples just about anytime and any place.
“You can get me,” Hoffman confirmed.
But he didn’t always feel that way.
“You know, when I first started this job, I’m like, I don’t really want to do this. Why am I doing this? And then all of a sudden, I kept doing more and more and more,” he said. “I finally found out that I actually can help people on what is one of the biggest things they’ll ever do in their life.”
After thousands of weddings, Hoffman has learned a thing or two.
“Every wedding is different. I can say the same thing over and over and over. But it’s not the same. There is one thing in common, though. You got this going on,” he said, pointing to his heart. “You gotta have that. If you don’t, you don’t have it.”
The Bakers seem to have it in spades.
Plenty of people are cynical when it comes to the commercialization of Feb. 14. But Dean and Susi say skeptics should cast those feelings aside.
“It’s an important day to us. And everybody should remember to tell each other they love them every day. But if you forget to do that, Valentine's Day is a good day to celebrate it,” Susi said.