A CARE home in County Durham was the location of a “special and joyous” event on Friday (February 25), after one of its residents got married to her partner of almost 30 years – only a matter of months after finding out that she was approaching the end of her life.
Seventy-one-year-old Jeannette Williams tied the knot with her partner Gary Coutts, 67, at Brandon Lodge Care Home this morning, after the groom decided to propose 27 years after they first met.
Jeannette, who met Gary, an electrician, when he came to her house to do some electrical repairs, had pushed the wedding back – but after the pair found out that she’d developed a seven-centimetre aneurysm, they decided to stage a wedding surrounded by those most important to them.
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Joined by family and friends, which saw Gary’s daughter Jasmine, his brother Norman, and sister-in-law attend, staff at the care home decorated rooms to make the couples’ special day even more memorable, including a balloon arch, a wedding aisle and plenty of flowers, while two local registrars made the marriage legal.
Jeannette has only been a resident at Brandon Lodge for a week following a stay in hospital and a few brief days back at home with Gary in Ushaw Moor.
The couple decided that Jeannette’s needs would be best met with the full-time care and support offered at Brandon Lodge.
Speaking about the marriage, Jeannette, who has now taken Gary’s name, told The Northern Echo: “I’m feeling relaxed and at ease about the whole situation.
"I wouldn’t say I’m a dab hand when it comes to love, but we’ve been together for 27 years and we didn’t want to rush. There was a spark there at first between us two.”
Here's some pictures of the special day:
Pictures: SARAH CALDECOTT.
“I can’t thank the staff at Brandon Lodge enough for their kindness and help with organising my wedding, they have been brilliant.
"In dark days there is always light at the end of the tunnel and there is hopefully light at the end of our tunnel.”
Gary, who was previously in the Marines for nine years, and hails from South Shields originally, says that the marriage was “on the cards for a long time,” but he didn’t know when best to pop the question.
He said: “There was no urgency at all because with Jeannette there was never any stress. I take things in my stride and there’ll be plenty of emotions today.
“This is the best day of my life.”
Watch the moment the happy couple make the marriage official:
While the wedding showcased just about enough emotions for the day, Jeannette’s childhood friend, Evelyn Marshall, also attended the wedding, which was the first time they’d seen each other since 1956, when they were both living in a children’s convent in Hove.
When Jeannette was six years old, she moved to a different children’s home where she lived until she was 17 and Evelyn returned to live with her mother.
Neither of the friends were ever told where the other had gone and spent years wondering what had happened to each other until Evelyn recently managed to track down Jeannette.
Some more images of the wedding:
Pictures: SARAH CALDECOTT.
Today, the long-lost friends reminisced about the “good old days,” which saw Jeanette remember Evelyn as “the beautiful girl with curly hair,” sitting on Brighton Beach.
Jeannette added: “I still remember all of those years ago. She was my best friend, and I was devastated when we lost contact. I’m so happy that she’s back in my life.
“After all of these years, we can finally reminisce and enjoy the time we have left.”
See the moment Jeannette was celebrated by Brandon Lodge Care Home staff on the walk to the wedding:
Evelyn added: “I’m so grateful that we’ve met by pure chance again. I posted a message on a Brighton and Hove group a few years ago, and from there, we were reunited.
“We have a lot of catching up to do, but we’ve spoken on the phone plenty and hopefully we can meet up plenty.”
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