We’ve all heard of long engagements, but have you ever heard of one that lasted 44 years?
These days, it’s more and more common for young couples to date for many years before getting married, or choose not to get hitched at all.
No matter what they decide to do, one of the major themes of contemporary unions is individuality, as we saw with this avant-garde duo staging nuptials all over the world.
Of course, they say that youth is wasted on the young, and an argument could be made that unconventional marriages are too. After all, weddings loaded with quirky ideas from Pinterest might be new, but marching to the beat of your own drummer sure isn’t!
Bolstering the case? A couple from Leeds, England, who finally decided to tie the knot after 44 years together. The newly-wedded bride Sally Dunn, née Smith, described the big day as “worth the wait.”
What do you think of their long and adorable engagement?
Let us know in the comments below!
Sally Dunn, 82, and her husband Colin, 84, have been an item now for 44 years.
The two met in 1972, in a meet-cute fit for a primetime sitcom, according to the Yorkshire Evening Post.
At the time, Sally worked behind the bar at the local pub, Middleton Social Club.
Colin, a regular, got to know his bride-to-be from weekend evenings spent relaxing in the pub and chatting with her.
At the time, he was working as a truck driver, and would come into the pub nearly every weekend to relax.
He got chatting with the pretty woman behind the bar, often enough that they established a pattern and a routine.
Says Colin, “Eventually, I asked her out.”
From there, according to Sally, the relationship “snowballed.”
The duo, both previously married, moved in together.
They lived as a committed couple, and raised Sally’s four children from her previous marriage together, but they were in no rush to walk down the aisle.
They always intended to get married, but with their busy lives, filled with work and children, it never seemed like a priority.
They were, after all, very happy as they were.
But according to Colin, things changed as they started to get older.
“All of a sudden, the children were growing up and leaving home and it was just me and Sally, so we thought it was finally time to become man and wife.”
It took them more than four decades, but finally, on May 15th, the devoted duo walked down the aisle.
Prompted in part by the casualties of old age — Colin lost his brother late in 2015 — the Dunns, and their children, felt that it was time.
Sheeree McCalla, who was four when Colin and her mother got together, told the YEP, “The church was packed with people watching them say ‘I do’ — and it was about time!”
For onlookers in the audience, the day was the icing on the cake for a very long and happy relationship.
Together, the Dunns raised four children, and saw their family grow by 13 grandkids and nine great-grandkids.
They may not have been married on paper, but there can be no doubt that they were loving life partners for those 44 years!
And the day itself? We imagine Sally, Colin, and their wedding guests will be talking about it for years to come! Colin told the YEP that it “went like clockwork.”
Sally, for her part added, “It was worth the wait… The highlight for me was actually getting married."
After 44 years together, we wish this lovely couple many more happy years. Best wishes for the future, Sally and Colin!
If you agree, make sure to SHARE this sweet love story (with a fairy-tale ending) for the romantics in your life!
