After 66yrs as bridesmaid, I’m finally the bride
Maggie, 95, weds widower Bernie, 93
WHEN Margaret Husband watched Bernard Brice wed her pal in 1951, she probably never imagined she would do the same 66 years later…
But the pair have become one of the world’s oldest married couples – after they met again at his wife’s funeral.
Margaret, 95, was a bridesmaid at 93-year-old Bernard’s first wedding to her friend Dorothy. And romance blossomed after she arrived for her farewell service six years ago.
Her youngest son Robert Husband, 52, who walked her down the aisle, said: “I certainly didn’t expect to give her away.
“If there was a list of all the things I thought would happen this year, it wouldn’t even make the bottom.
“We brought mum up for Bernard’s wife’s funeral and he collared me afterwards to say he’d always had a soft spot for mum. It’s great to see them together. I didn’t think I’d see the day but it’s really nice they’ve got this loving companionship at their age.”
Bernard added: “I wasn’t nervous, I was excited. It was a good service. We’re going to start married life in earnest.”
Mum-of-four Margaret who arrived for the wedding with posies and ribbons tied to her walking aid, said: “I feel so welcomed into Bernard’s family.” Granddaughters Holly and Megan Husband were her bridesmaids. She was given away by Robert and her other sons Brian, Mark and Steve. Bernard’s son, Graham, 63, was best man. Daughter Helen Gadsby, 65, said: “It was lovely.”
Margaret, from Banbury, Oxon, has moved into Bernard’s home at Gosforth, Cumbria. Her first husband, David, died of cancer 30 years ago.