Eighteen 'war bride' couples renewed their marriage vows Wednesday in a ceremony near the Halifax pier where thousands arrived more than 60 years ago after marrying Canadian soldiers during the Second World War.

The brides, clutching bouquets of red roses, walked down the aisle of Pier 21 to the strains of Irving Berlin's Always, escorted by soldiers.

Their grooms, many wearing the medals they earned, patiently waited for their lifelong sweethearts. A barbershop quartet sang behind them.

They again repeated the words, "For better, for worse / For richer, for poorer."

Then they sealed their vows with a gentle kiss.

Alma MacDonald, 83, wore a dress she brought from her British homeland six decades ago, twirling for the TV cameras.

"We went to Castleford for our honeymoon on the train," she told CTV Atlantic, standing beside her husband Daniel. "It was nice, but it was cold. It was February."

Pier 21 is now an immigration museum on the Halifax waterfront. Pictures of young war bride couples line the walls. Some elderly lovebirds shared a kiss in front of them.

Others remembered the dashing young men they fell in love with.

"Oh, he was cute," one woman said, her hubby beside her. "But when I met him at the train station in Rogersville, he had his service suit on and one of those hats. He looked like a gangster!"

Some couples said patience and give-and-take were keys to making a marriage last six decades.

The war brides were as young as 17 here. Many had comfortable lives back home and some found themselves living in near-pioneer conditions in their new land.

The welcome they received in Halifax on Tuesday -- a trip organized by Via Rail employees -- differed from the greetings they got in 1945.

Some Canadian women were upset they had married so many Canadian men. Others were angry the women arrived in Canada before the soldiers did.

"Thank you, for the courage and strength given to our brides to face the challenges of life," one priest read out at an ecumenical service.

Eight provinces have designated 2006 "The Year of the War Bride."

With a report from CTV Atlantic's Rick Grant and files from The Canadian Press