There are men who can’t remember the date they got married, and others who wish they could forget, but retired businessman and private investigator Paul Aronson is not among them. In fact, he was so looking forward to marking the fiftieth anniversary of his marriage to Lyne that he began laying the groundwork for a super-special celebration last May.

The fact that his wife is known to the family as ‘The Queen’ also sums up why Mr. Aronson wanted March 3, 2007 to be a date that she would not forget.

But where would they go, and what would they do?

That, he decided, would be Top Secret until the very end, so he code named the destination ‘Xanadu’ — a place which, inspired by Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem, ‘Kubla Khan’, has become a metaphor for opulence.

The mystery destination would drive his family to the outer limits of frustration for many months as they tried to guess, cajole and wheedle the information out of their generous patriarch.

In fact, of all the places in the world, Mr. Aronson chose Bermuda. While he had never set foot on the Island, Ted Marshall, the captain of his large motor yacht, had, so with his advice and the internet he knew his decision was the right one.

“By definition Xanadu is a beautiful place. There is no place in the US that fits that description, but Bermuda does,” Mr. Aronson said.

With that settled, “Kubla Kahn” issued a ‘Proclamation and Decree’ that Mrs. Aronson, their daughters Diane and Susie, grandchildren and spouses should join a “mystical journey to Xanadu’ on March 3, 2007, and to be at the “appointed time and place to join the mysterious safari” with “details to follow”.

The invitations were printed on parchment scrolls with “gold” finials, and delivered in special mailing tubes in early December.

Since this would be no ordinary safari, a private Gulfstream jet was booked to leave from Westchester airport in New York, while details of the menu and related arrangements were worked out between Mr. Aronson and Bermudian Jaja Millett, catering manager of the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club.

These would include a beautiful, two-tiered anniversary cake for the septuagenarians to cut, and colourful floral arrangements on the tables of the Prince Albert private dining room, with its adjoining balcony and splendid views of Hamilton Harbour.

Only the oldest grandson, Max Meyers, was let in on the secret, for he would be officiating at a special ceremony during which the couple would exchange vows at the luncheon. To his eternal credit, the young man breathed not one word of the impending event to anyone in the interim — “and we worked him” his mother said.

His grandfather also endured months of badgering as family members grew “curioser and curioser” trying to pinpoint their destination. If anyone said ‘Bermuda’ he quickly dismissed it.

“Every time I said something he said, ‘No, no, no’,” Mrs. Aronson remembered. “In the end I got so frustrated I decided not to think about it any more.”

Finally, on the night before departure, she was convinced it would be Bermuda, something her husband again denied. On the morning of departure the airport was still a secret until one of the limousine drivers (each family was picked up and returned home in a separate limousine) let slip ‘Westchester’ and not ‘Xanadu’ as he was supposed to do.

During the smooth flight, cabin staff pampered the family with mimosas and delicious goodies. At the Bermuda airport the party of 18 — including Mrs. Aronson’s “baby”, Muffy the teacup Yorkie — was met by a fleet of taxis and conveyed to the RBYC for their private luncheon.

Interviewed at its conclusion, Mrs. Aronson said the whole thing had been “a shock, a complete surprise, and very special,” and she was clearly delighted with the celebration.

Over half a century ago, when the couple first met, each was dating someone else, and the foursome were all great friends. Two years after the original partnerships disbanded, Mr. Aronson began dating the woman whom he would marry three months later.

“Did you know he was ‘The One’,” Lifestyle asked.

“Her mother did,” her husband shot back.

“Yes,” Mrs. Aronson confirmed. “My mother knew Paul was ‘The One’.”

“If you say so,” Mr. Aronson said.

“Tell them how many times you were engaged, mother,” the family teased.

“I was only engaged twice,” she protested.

Whatever the details, the couple settled down to married life and raised two daughters. Today the family circle includes five grandchildren, two of whom are twin boys.

Now retired, the happy New Yorkers are enjoying the fruits of their labours, including travelling on their private motor yacht, Freeplay. Mr. Aronson was originally in the men’s apparel business before becoming a private investigator.

Asked for the secret of a successful 50-year marriage, Mr. Aronson said, “Patience” — to hoots of laughter from his family — and “consideration”.

For her part, Mrs. Aronson said learning “when to shut your mouth and turn away” was key.

“You have to work at it,” she assured.

There is also another lesson she has learned in the fullness of time: that home cooking is not the only way to her man’s heart.

“We bought a restaurant, so we eat out now,” she smiled.

On behalf of the gathering, Diane Arunson said: “I think everybody in this room comprises a group of the luckiest people on earth with all the love (that exists) in this family.”

A taxi tour of the Island ended the family’s whirlwind visit to Bermuda, but not the memories of a day spent celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of a very special couple.