By 1966, Dolly and Carl were deeply in love. But not everyone was thrilled about their plans to marry.

Dolly’s record label at the time didn’t think a newlywed country singer would be easy to market. They tried to convince her to postpone the wedding for the sake of her career.

Dolly listened—but only for a little while. Instead of waiting, she and Carl slipped away to Ringgold, Georgia, where they could get married quickly without much fuss.

The ceremony was as private as their relationship for the next six decades—just Carl, Dolly, the pastor, his wife, and Dolly’s mother.

“We didn’t want any pressure, any big deal,” Dolly later said. “We just wanted to get married.”

After the ceremony, they dropped Dolly’s mom off at the bus station. They went straight home—no extravagant honeymoon, no press coverage, just two people who had found their perfect match.