Don’t tell me I can’t…
When Vicky Horner’s partner popped the question she couldn’t wait to say ‘I do’…
get married for the first time in my 50s!
Putting on my floor-length ivory gown on the morning of my wedding, I couldn’t believe I was about to marry the man of my dreams. Yes, to look at me, aged 51, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was my second – even my third – marriage. But the truth is, I’d never walked down the aisle before.
Growing up I always knew I wanted to get married. Only instead of fantasising about the perfect dress, to me that didn’t matter. I was much more taken with the idea of finding ‘the one’.
While I had the odd boyfriend during school, it wasn’t until I went to university that I fell in love. Only, after nine years together, things didn’t work out, and although I met someone else while I was working as a teacher, after five years that fizzled out too.
I’ll admit, finding myself single at 35 was difficult. Some of my friends were beginning to settle down and I’d always thought I’d have been married with children by then too. But, while I tried to date again, I didn't meet anyone special.
Instead, I decided to channel my energy into retraining as a homeopath. After qualifying in 2000 and setting up my own business finally I felt able to start dating again. The only problem was I had no idea where to meet eligible men!
Then a friend suggested joining a dating site. But while it led to a few dates, it was never anything more and, as the years passed, I just couldn't find that spark.
Only then in February 2009, aged 45, I got a message from a man called Nigel. ‘I’m not sure how this works but I’ve seen your profile and it would be nice to hear back from you,’ he wrote. From his photo, I could tell he was good-looking – with salt-and-pepper hair and big blue eyes – and his message seemed so genuine. I decided to reply and, as we chatted, Nigel explained he was divorced and had four children.
Soon we were exchanging messages every day and, in March 2009, we decided to meet at a local pub for a drink. As we sat down, I felt instantly at ease.
Before we knew it, the pub was closing and, having had a good time, we agreed to see each other again – and again. My friends and family loved Nigel too and, when I met his children, we all got on. Two years later, we moved in together and in August 2013 we went on holiday to France. My father had just passed away and I was feeling quite emotional, but as we walked in a beautiful garden along the mountainside, Nigel turned to me and asked me to marry him. Bursting into tears, I said yes. We wanted a simple wedding and set the date for four months later. Yes, I’d be 51, but being an older bride didn’t worry me, I just wanted to be with the man I loved.
Still, in my fifties, I wasn’t sure what to wear. I tried on white trouser suits and vintage frocks, but nothing was right. Instead I managed to find the most beautiful Grecian-style gown. And, far from being a bridezilla wanting to spend thousands on a sit down dinner for 100 guests, Nigel and
I wanted a personal wedding with 13 of our closest family members and a few friends at our local register office.
When our big day came in December 2013, I couldn’t have asked for anything better. We made sure everyone felt a part of the day with Nigel’s children organising the music and looking after the rings, my sister-in-law doing the flowers, my friends making a cake and my two brothers and little nephew giving me away.
Now, as I look through our wedding album, it always brings a smile to my face. And while I always thought that by now I’d be celebrating my silver anniversary, I wouldn’t change a thing. It just goes to show, it is never too late to find love. ✱ expresshealthwinchester.com
‘I couldn’t find that spark’