In our experience
We found HEALTH, WEALTH & HAPPINESS
It’s what we all want as we toast the new year, but for these three women, each of the wishes has been especially meaningful
‘I MARRIED SOMEONE TRULY SPECIAL’
Jane Albert, 65, married Hugh, 61, in Cornwall in May 2022. They live together in London.
When my first marriage ended after 38 years, in 2013, it felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders. We’d grown apart and things hadn’t been great for a long time. I’d married so young, and I needed to discover who I was again. It was very exciting to have that freedom – but there were lonely moments too.
Around a year after my divorce, in April 2016, I felt ready to meet someone, so I decided to give online dating a go. I hadn’t dated since I was a teenager and, of course, the landscape had changed dramatically since then. I started to keep a diary as I went along, because it was such a fascinating experience; one photo I came across on a dating site was a man with no teeth and a crow on his shoulder!
After around five weeks of dating (and kissing a few frogs), I received a message on Match.com from a handsome man called Hugh. We messaged on the site for a couple of weeks before moving to email, and a month or so later we had our first date. We met for a coffee and were instantly comfortable in each other’s company – we simply enjoyed chatting, there was no agenda. He was charming, polite, funny and interesting, and I left the date with a feeling that there was something different about him.
A few dates later, I was due to go on a trip to Cornwall (my home county), and I asked Hugh if he wanted to come. He accepted, and we had a blissful time. Gradually, we fell in love, and we’ve never been apart since.
We moved in together during the first lockdown, in March 2020, and in January 2021, Hugh proposed to me. I was watching TV one evening when he appeared and got down on one knee, presenting me with a trilogy diamond ring. I squealed and ran around excitedly – after saying ‘yes’, of course! I felt so deliriously happy and excited.
Our wedding took place in May 2022, at the Carbis Bay Estate near St Ives in Cornwall. It was just us and four of our closest friends. We wanted an intimate ceremony and then a big party a month later, to celebrate with friends and family. The private beach where we married was near one of the places I lived as a child, so it holds a special place in my heart.
I honestly never dreamt I could be this happy. Hugh and I love, appreciate and respect one another. I have found someone honest, kind, thoughtful and trustworthy. It may sound corny but we are so insanely happy. I can’t believe how lucky I am to have met and married someone as special as him. I just wish I’d met him years ago so I could love him longer.
