Friday was a joyous day for the families of Jerry R. Tatum and Sherry Lamb.

The couple, each of Red Level, was united in holy matrimony by Probate Judge Ben Bowden just before lunch on Jan. 3, 2014.

Tatum, 70, and Lamb, 49, have spent the last 24 years together and decided this week “to make it legal.”

When asked before the ceremony why the couple decided to marry after more than two decades together, Tatum told The Star-News, “Why not?”