Thursday night, on the eve of Independence, two historical re-enactors exchanged wedding vows. Ralph Archbold was Benjamin Franklin and Linda Wilde portrayed Betsy Ross.

According to The Associated Press, the couple wed in a public ceremony in front of Independence Hall. Everyone who attended the event was wearing appropriate costumes. Mayor Michael Nutter performed the ceremony and congratulated the bride and groom, saying that the whole city was happy for them.

While the Philly Pops were playing the wedding march, the couple got in a horse-drawn coach as they were heading to a reception at City Tavern where Benjamin Franklin dined with other important personalities such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

The couple met September 1 when Linda Wilde, 50, hired Ralph Archbold, 66, for a friend’s wedding toast. They got engaged this spring. Ralph Archbold has been portraying Benjamin Franklin since 1973.

Many history books say that Betsy Ross was the one who sewed the first American flag. But some historians say that Francis Hopkinson, a member of the Continental Congress from New Jersey, was the one who designed the flag.

Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706 and died April 17, 1790. He was one of the founding figures of the United States of America. He was not married to Betsy Ross but to Deborah Read. Some of his inventions were the lightning rod, the glass harmonica, the bifocal glasses and others. In 1776, he became a member of the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration of Independence.