TENNESSEE COUPLE MARRIES EACH OTHER – 109 TIMES

main_1408448600595_7447638_ver1.0_640_480Minutes after saying their wedding vows Friday afternoon at the Sumner County Administration Building, Lauren and David Blair were wished many happy years of marriage by passersby.

The odds are on their side.

The Hendersonville couple have been married 30 years — and are pros at saying “I do.”

Lauren and David Blair, the world’s most married couple according to Guinness World Records, renewed their vows last week for the 109th time during a ceremony held in the County Commission Chambers in Gallatin.

“The first time we got married was the best time, but each one of our weddings is really meaningful,” Lauren Blair, 63, said. “We allow the minister or whomever it is to write his own vows for us, and some of them have come up with some really great ones.”

The couple, married since May 6, 1984, have exchanged vows at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Ohio, the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville, a funeral parlor in Kentucky and at a tailgate party before a Titans game at LP Field. They have also been married in Canada, London, Aruba and Scotland.

“It’s incredible,” said Sumner County Executive Anthony Holt, who married the couple on Friday. “This is the first renewal of vows that I’ve done. This couple are truly committed to each other, and I’m just glad to be a part of it.”

After their first marriage, a church wedding for their families a day later and then another free wedding while on their honeymoon in Las Vegas, the Blairs decided to see if there was a world record for the couple with the most weddings.

There was. It took the couple nearly 17 years and the renewing of their vows 56 more times in order for them to break it.

“It’s just something that we’re very much in love, and we thought that this would be one way that we could really share that,” Lauren Blair said. “We just really love each other and David loves looking into my eyes and saying, ‘Yes, I want to marry you again.’ ”

1 ‘no’, 109 ‘I do’s’

Lauren and David Blair first met on Sept. 9, 1982 while in the commissary at Universal Studios where they both worked. At the time, Lauren was an executive secretary and David was a set lighting technician.

“I looked across the counter there, and I knew the first time I laid eyes on her that that was the woman I was going to marry,” David Blair, 61, said about their first meeting. “It was just love at first sight.”

For Lauren, however, the feeling was not quite mutual.

“He wasn’t exactly what I was looking for,” Lauren Blair said laughing. “I’d been with musicians most of my life, and I wanted some guy in a three-piece suit and that is not what he wears.”

Even after moving to sit next to Lauren, David — who had worked with famous directors including Steven Spielberg and stars such as Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton — was speechless.

“I didn’t want to blow any chance that I had,” he said. “I had to think of the right thing to say.”

The two began talking and after a couple of months David popped the question and asked Lauren to marry him. To his surprise, though, she said no.

“I had just gotten out of a 10-year relationship, so naturally I still wanted to get back with him, but David did everything he could to change my mind,” Lauren Blair said. “So, when he asked me to marry him, I said ‘no,’ and then I went to my cousin’s wedding about five months later where I caught the bouquet, and I knew it was a sign.”

No end in sight

Despite holding the record for the most marriage vows renewals, the Blairs say they’re just like any other married couple.

And, yes, they do have arguments.

“We just have this thing of, ‘Well I’m not going to marry you again,’ ” Lauren Blair said laughing. “You can always hold that over his head.”

While the couple haven’t decided when or where they will renew their vows for the 110th time, they said they would like to get married at the Hard Rock in Maui.

“We’re not going to quit. We’re just going to keep doing it,” Lauren Blair said. “It just proves that love is still alive and people can stay married for longer than four years.”

  1. May 6, 1984: Inn of the Seventh Ray, Topanga Canyon, Calif.
  2. May 7, 1984: Long Grove Community Church, Long Grove, Ill.
  3. May 12, 1984: Candlelight Wedding Chapel, Las Vegas
  4. Dec. 22, 1984: Candlelight Wedding Chapel, Las Vegas
  5. Dec. 15, 1985: Chapel of the Fountain, Las Vegas
  6. April 21, 1986: Chapel of the Stars, Las Vegas
  7. Dec. 26, 1987: Little Brown Church in the Valley, Hollywood
  8. Dec. 25, 1988: Chapel of the Stars, Las Vegas
  9. Dec. 27, 1988: Las Vegas Wedding Gardens, Las Vegas
  10. May 5, 1990: Nashville Wedding Chapel, Madison
  11. Aug. 3, 1991: Music Row Wedding Chapel, Nashville
  12. Dec. 11, 1992: Bridal Path Wedding Chapel, Nashville
  13. Aug. 13, 1993: Wedding Chapel, Springfield
  14. Feb. 14, 1994: Music Row Wedding Chapel, Nashville
  15. May 6, 1994: Formal garden of friends, French Quarter, New Orleans
  16. Sept. 8, 1996: Steak 5 Restaurant, Aruba, Dutch Antilles
  17. March 17, 1997: The Wedding Cottage of Hendersonville, Hendersonville
  18. April 9, 1997: Observation deck, Skylon Tower, Niagara Falls, Canada
  19. June 20, 1997: Bridal Path Wedding Chapel, Nashville
  20. July 4, 1997: The Wedding Cottage of Hendersonville
  21. Dec. 31, 1997: The Wedding Cottage of Hendersonville, Hendersonville
  22. Feb. 14, 1998: The Wedding Cottage of Hendersonville, Hendersonville
  23. March 15, 1998: The Wedding Cottage of Hendersonville, Hendersonville
  24. May 9, 1998: Overlooking Wychmere Harbor, Cape Cod, Mass.
  25. May 13, 1998: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum, Cleveland, Ohio
  26. Sept. 5, 1998: Birthplace of Elvis Presley, Museum & Meditation Chapel, Tupelo, Miss.
  27. Dec. 30, 1998: The Wedding Cottage of Hendersonville, Hendersonville
  28. Sept. 6, 1999: Gretna Hall Blacksmith Shop, Gretna Green, Scotland
  29. Sept. 6, 1999: The Original Blacksmith Shop, Gretna Green, Scotland
  30. Dec. 31, 1999: The Wedding Cottage of Hendersonville, Hendersonville (11:59pm)
  31. Jan. 1, 2000: The Wedding Cottage of Hendersonville, Hendersonville (12:01am)
  32. Feb. 2, 2000: Music Row Wedding Chapel, Nashville
  33. Feb. 12, 2000: 100 Oaks Mall, Nashville
  34. Feb. 14, 2000: Dearly Beloved Chapel, Old Hickory
  35. Feb. 29, 2000: The Wedding Cottage of Hendersonville, Hendersonville
  36. March 3, 2000: Music Row Wedding Chapel, Nashville
  37. April 4, 2000: The Wedding Cottage of Hendersonville, Hendersonville
  38. May 5, 2000: Miracle Network, Gatlinburg
  39. May 6, 2000: Cloud Nine Weddings, Gatlinburg
  40. May 6, 2000: Hard Rock Café, Gatlinburg
  41. June 6, 2000: Nashville Wedding Chapel, Madison
  42. July 7, 2000: The Buchanan House, Nashville
  43. Aug. 8, 2000: GrandStands Restaurant, Hendersonville
  44. Sept. 9, 2000: The Wedding Cottage of Hendersonville, Hendersonville
  45. Oct. 2, 2000: Graceland’s Chapel in the Woods, Memphis
  46. Oct. 5, 2000: Hard Rock Café, Boston, Mass.
  47. Oct. 10, 2000: Brax Landing Restaurant, Harwich Port, Mass.
  48. Oct. 14, 2000: Hard Rock Café, Chicago, Ill.
  49. Oct. 15, 2000: Hard Rock Café, Memphis
  50. Nov. 11, 2000: On the set of Tennessee Repertory Theatre’s “Romeo & Juliet,” Polk Theatre, Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville
  51. Dec. 12, 2000: K&J Weddings, Hendersonville
  52. Dec. 31, 2000: The Wedding Cottage of Hendersonville, Hendersonville (11:59pm)
  53. Jan. 1, 2001: The Wedding Cottage of Hendersonville, Hendersonville (12:01am)
  54. Jan. 24, 2001: Nashville Wedding Chapel, Madison
  55. Feb. 8, 2001: Music Row Wedding Chapel, Nashville
  56. Feb. 9, 2001: Richland Baptist Church, Nashville
  57. Feb. 10, 2001: The Wedding Cottage of Hendersonville, Hendersonville
  58. Feb. 11, 2001: Hendersonville United Pentecostal Church, Hendersonville
  59. Feb. 14, 2001: Serendipity 3 Restaurant, New York City (Record-breaking wedding)
  60. Feb. 27, 2001: Hard Rock Café, Nashville
  61. April 19, 2001: Hard Rock Café Vault, London, England
  62. Aug. 3, 2001: Tweed’s Wedding Chapel, Fletcher, N.C.
  63. Dec. 15, 2001: On the set of Tennessee Repertory Theatre’s “Driving Miss Daisy,” Polk Theatre, Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville
  64. Feb. 2, 2002: The Wedding Cottage of Hendersonville, Hendersonville
  65. April 24, 2002: Snappy Snaps, Mayfair, London, UK
  66. April 26, 2002: Loxwood, Westfield, Woking, Surrey, UK
  67. Aug. 28, 2002: The Wedding Cottage of Hendersonville, Hendersonville
  68. March 3, 2003: The Wedding Cottage of Hendersonville, Hendersonville
  69. March 17, 2003: The Wedding Cottage of Hendersonville, Hendersonville
  70. May 3, 2003: Hard Rock Café – Philadelphia, Pa.
  71. May 5, 2003: Hard Rock Café – Baltimore, Md.
  72. July 26, 2003: Coach’s Sports Grill & Bar, Hendersonville
  73. Aug. 2, 2003: Viva Las Vegas, Las Vegas
  74. Aug. 3, 2003: Stratosphere Tower, Las Vegas
  75. Aug. 4, 2003: Hard Rock Café, Las Vegas
  76. Jan. 18, 2004: Bridal Path Wedding Chapel, Nashville
  77. Feb. 27, 2004: Snappy Snaps, Knightsbridge, London, UK
  78. April 4, 2004: Bridal Path Wedding Chapel, Nashville
  79. May 10, 2004: Parish Patch Farm & Inn, Normandy, Tenn.
  80. May 31: 2004: Tennessee Renaissance Festival, Triune, Tenn.
  81. Aug. 12, 2004: Hard Rock Café, Lake Tahoe, Nev.
  82. Aug. 13, 2004: Arch of Reno, Reno, Nev.
  83. Aug. 15, 2004: Boardwalk Hotel & Casino, Lighthouse Lounge, Las Vegas
  84. Oct. 2, 2004: The Wedding Cottage of Hendersonville, Hendersonville
  85. May 5, 2005: Shady Lady Lounge & Casino, Hill City, S.D.
  86. May 6, 2005: Tana’s Mangy Moose, Hill City, S.D.
  87. May 23, 2005: Drake’s Creek Park Bridge, Hendersonville
  88. Aug. 26, 2005: Luray Caverns, Va.
  89. May 26, 2006: Hard Rock Café – Myrtle Beach, S.C.
  90. May 27, 2006: Seaside Wedding Chapel, Little River, S.C.
  91. June 4, 2006: Guinness World of Records Museum, Gatlinburg
  92. June 6, 2006: T.G.I Fridays, Madison
  93. July 2, 2006: Shady Cove Resort & Marina, Castalian Springs
  94. May 2, 2007: On the set of “Mama Mia,” Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville
  95. July 7, 2007: Fuji Japanese Restaurant, Goodlettsville
  96. Aug. 8, 2008: ASCAP, Nashville
  97. May 13, 2009: Hard Rock Café, New Orleans
  98. Sept. 9, 2009: Owen Bradley Park, Roundabout, Nashville
  99. Oct. 10, 2010: Logan’s Roadhouse Restaurant, Gallatin
  100. Oct. 2, 2011: Hard Rock Café, Honolulu
  101. Nov. 11, 2011: The UPS Store, Nashville
  102. Feb. 29, 2012: Rhinestone Wedding Chapel, Nashville
  103. April 29, 2012: Hackney’s Restaurant, Lake Zurich, Ill.
  104. Sept. 29, 2012: Wright’s Funeral Home, Greenup, Ky.
  105. Dec. 12, 2012: The ASCAP Connie Bradley Boardroom, Nashville
  106. Dec. 17, 2012: Novacopy Tailgate Party before the Tennessee Titans and New York Jets Monday Night Football Game, Nashville
  107. Aug. 4, 2013: Hard Rock Café, Louisville, Ky.
  108. May 2, 2014: Arlington Int’l Racecourse, Arlington Heights, Ill.
  109. Aug. 15, 2014: Sumner County Administration Building, Gallatin