Britain's oldest newlyweds with combined age of 171 will tie the knot next month
A COUPLE with a combined age of 171 are about to become Britain’s oldest newlyweds.
SWNS
Bride-to-be Joan Grant, 81, will exchange vows with Ted Wright, 90, next month in a small registry office ceremony with about 20 guests.
Mrs Grant, a widow, has not yet decided what she will wear for the big day she never expected would happen - but she has ruled out wearing a white dress joking: “It’s not a shotgun wedding”.
The couple met 15 years ago when they went on holiday as part of a retirement group for former WH Smith staff.
Mrs Grant retired from the company in 1996 and Mr Wright, also a widower, worked in a warehouse for the High Street giant.
The couple will have their first dance to Frank Sinatra song ‘Second Time Around’.
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Mrs Grant said: “The main reason why we wanted to get married was Ted had a stroke two years ago and I have looked after him so well that he thinks I deserve to marry him.
“I didn’t think I would get married again but we got on so well together.
“We accept what each other does. We don’t give up and we enjoy our life.
“When we first met, we didn’t think it would be a relationship and then Ted started to phone me and we had our courtship over the phone.
“We used to talk for hours and we really enjoyed it.
SWNS
It is never too late for love
"I eventually invited him round for New Year’s lunch and the rest is history.
“It is never too late for love.”
The couple enjoy racing each other on their mobility scooters and used to go line dancing, until the soon-to-be Mrs Wright had a hip replacement which limited her mobility.
Mr Wright said: “We went to Germany one year for a holiday and there was some musicians paying music and so we started dancing.
“People thought that we were part of the show and so put money down which we didn’t expect at all.”
SWNS
They will tie the knot on January 19 in Swindon, Wiltshire, where they live, and the following day they will set off with 50 friends and family to Hayling Island, near Portsmouth, for a ‘funnymoon.’
Mrs Grant added: “We had been talking about getting married for a while and I kept asking him when it was going to happen.
“It was when we went down to Weybridge, in Surrey, to see relatives that all of a sudden Ted said to the family that we were going to get married.
“They were absolutely over the moon and everyone is so pleased for us.”
