Jimmy Cooper, 92, and Andrea Cullen, 85, married in front of family and residents at Charlton Grange in Shepperton, Surrey, on April 11. (Charlton Grange Care Home via SWNS)
By Jack Fifield
A couple with a combined age of 177 have tied the knot in a care home.
Jimmy Cooper, 92, and Andrea Cullen, 85, married in front of family and residents at Charlton Grange in Shepperton, Surrey on April 11.
The pair met in 2016, and Jimmy, a former black cab driver, popped the question three weeks before the big day.
The groom wore a brown suit with a gold tie while the bride wore a red top - and a white blazer.
The ceremony included finger food followed by a sponge cake decorated with floral icing with ‘Congratulations Andrea and Jimmy’ written in pink – with leftover servings distributed amongst the care home.
Jimmy says he didn’t make a speech as he says "nobody asked me to," with best man duties delegated to his son Jamie, 56 and his nine-year-old great granddaughter Jessica serving as flower girl.
The pair met in 2016, and Jimmy, a former black cab driver, popped the question three weeks before the big day. (Charlton Grange Care Home via SWNS)
Champagne was shared around to guests to revel in the big day – though Jimmy does not drink alcohol himself.
Now, the couple plan to get on with their retirement and will not be having a honeymoon.
Jimmy said: “We don’t normally do much – we potter around, we might go shopping, things like that.
“We’ve had a couple of holidays together, we’re both too old to go gallivanting now.
“We went to Bournemouth, and then we went to Hungerford in Wiltshire for the week, it was a nice break.
“Nothing very exciting, we’re too old to go gallivanting around the streets now – the pair of us can’t walk far.”
The ceremony was officiated by a member of staff at the care home, Sam Noel, who is a Baptist minister as well as a carer.
The groom wore a brown suit with a gold tie while the bride wore a red top, and a white blazer. (Charlton Grange Care Home via SWNS)
Jimmy, who retired aged 82 in 2016 due to problems with his eyesight, said: “It was lovely, it was really, really nice.
“They decorated all the lounge out where we had it – everything was laid out nice, the food was laid out.
“There were quite a lot of guests there as well, a lot of staff, everybody.
“It was very nice.
“[Andrea] stayed up for three hours, normally two hours is enough for anything.
“She was quite happy, very pleased with it.
“She came in, she looked a hundred dollars, she was dressed up lovely.
“It was really, really nice.
“We had all the family there, we had her son there, her daughter-in-law.
“All in all, it was quite a memorable day.”