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Reunited sweethearts marry on front lawn of high school 30 years after splitting up

Posted at 12:12 PM, May 09, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-09 12:12:49-04

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - It isn't everyone who can say they married their high school sweetheart, especially when it's more than 30 years after graduation.

One couple from Kansas City reunited as adults, years after they went their separate ways as kids, and got married Tuesday on the front lawn at Oak Park High School.

True love never fades. Phillip Adams and his new wife, Shelley, stand together as proof.

They dated as teenagers during their days as students at Oak Park High School before splitting up somewhere along the way. Three years ago, Phil and Shelley became reacquainted, and it didn't take long before they began to date again.

The high school is a special place for Phil, 50, and Shelley, 47. It's where the duo met in an art class three decades ago. That was a topic mentioned during Tuesday's ceremony, during which, members of the Oak Park High School Orchestra provided the music, as Shelley's romantic idea played out. A local minister married Phil and Shelley on the high school lawn with the school's giant aluminum Oak Park logo as part of the ceremony.

Phillip and Sherry Adams

"It was an awesome school to go to. We really enjoyed our time here. We thought it's the perfect place to get married," Shelley Adams said.

"I contacted the principal here at Oak Park and asked permission, obviously, to get married out front. It just snowballed from there. Everyone has been so excited for us," Phil Adams said Tuesday afternoon.

Three years ago, Shelley said she contacted Phil via Facebook, and the flames of love began burning again.

"It's exploded. It was like we've never been separated in life. It's like we've been together, like she said, lifetimes," Phil Adams glowed.

John Sherbo, a Kansas City minister in the Universal Life Church, conducted the ceremony, marrying his niece and her beloved partner.

"It's unbelievable. It's awesome," Sherbo said. "I would say that God works in mysterious ways. It's a pretty good deal that they have the opportunity to share the rest of their lives together."

Phil and Shelley said there's no honeymoon planned yet, but if you believe the groom, they don`t need one. Phil said the last three years have felt like one perfect holiday.

It's the second marriage for both the bride and the groom. They said they're looking forward to making up for the years they spent apart.