Al Roker Shares the Meaning Behind His Favorite Wedding Photo With Deborah Roberts

Ever since they said “I do” at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in New York City on September 16, 1995, Al Roker and Deborah Roberts look back on their wedding day with fond memories. The most memorable part? The Today show weatherman and his ABC News senior national affairs correspondent wife tell People on February 7, 2023, that one photo from their big day always comes to mind. The couple recalls taking a candid picture outside of the Essex House after they tied the knot that reflects the joy they felt at that moment and set the tone of their marriage. “We stepped into the street and lunged into a wild dash toward the camera,” the pair says. “We call it running toward our future.”

The photo shows the newlyweds grinning widely and holding hands while walking in the street. Roberts is raising her left hand in the air, and Roker’s right hand is in the shape of a fist. The bride is wearing a high-neck wedding dress with drop earrings, and the groom is sporting a classic black tuxedo. The duo notes that the shot is completely unposed and captures their pure excitement. “It was a rare, unguarded moment alone after a wedding, which included both of our large families, friends, a magnificent church ceremony with a beautiful choir, and a reception with a fabulous band,” the couple recalls. “For just a couple of minutes, we got silly and enjoyed the breather.”

Roker first met in 1990 after Roberts started working for Today. At the time, Roker was still married to his first wife, Alice Bell. Once the former couple separated in 1992, the new pair went on their first date. The journalist revealed in 2022 on The Kelly Clarkson Show how he scored a date with his now-wife. When Roberts asked Roker to watch his apartment while she was covering the Summer Olympics in Barcelona for NBC, he used it as an opportunity to impress her. “A day before she got back from her trip, I stocked her pantry, I stocked her refrigerator, and left some flowers on the table and a note, 'Welcome home,'" Roker remembered. "And then, I got my first date with her a week later." Now, the duo have been married for almost 30 years and share two children, Leila Ruth and Nicholas. Roker is also a father to Courtney from his previous marriage. 

In 2020, the pair celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary. To commemorate the relationship milestone, Roberts gave a tribute to her husband on Instagram. “Dear Sweet Hubby, I remember this magical moment of pure joy (almost) like it was yesterday,” she wrote. “It couldn’t possibly have been 25 years ago. Could it?? 25 years of love, laughter, peaks, valleys, discovery, bewilderment, bliss, struggle and all that this journey offers. But through it all we’ve tried to remember those beautiful and profound words spoken at our wedding. ‘Love is patient, love is kind...it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.’ Today I celebrate all that love has allowed. Happy Anniversary my sweet, kind, generous, hilarious and real soulmate. Love, Deb 🥂♥️🍾🎉🦋.”

The following year, the couple opened up about their marriage to People for the outlet’s Love Issue. Roberts revealed that her husband is a big romantic. “He does things, like he sprinkles little love notes, little cards throughout my life," she told the publication. "Sometimes, there's a little card next to the coffee maker that might say something encouraging or sweet or impish or fun. When I travel, I open my suitcase, and I find one or two notes in there that he’s slipped in or in my purse. ‘Have a great day I’m thinking of you.’ Or an Emily Dickinson sonnet or something, and I’m just like, ‘Oh my gosh!’ It just touches me, and he thinks that way all the time.”