When Lillian Hartley, 95, and Allan Marks, 98, tied the knot this week, they unknowingly became the world's oldest newlyweds. Their combined 193 years broke the previous record of 191 years.
"Honest to God? Oh, I can't believe it," Hartley told The Desert Sun about breaking the record. "Oh, I'm impressed with myself."
Photo via The Desert Sun
The happy couple met 18 years ago at temple on Yom Kippur in Palm Springs. He complimented her dress, and their relationship grew from there.
“I believe in fate and destiny a little bit and I think that was meant to be,” Hartley told ABC News. “I had been a widow for six years and I really loved my freedom. …I said, ‘Oh, I don’t want a relationship,’…and then he came along, and somehow hooked me.”
The couple moved in together soon after they began dating. Over the years, they had discussed marriage but, because of their busy lifestyle—they love to travel, go to temple, and watch the Los Angeles Lakers—they didn't find the time until Leap Day (guess that extra day really does come in handy!).
“We don’t know for sure what’s going to happen, so I’m not taking any chances. I want to be with Allan for the rest of my life,” Hartley said.
Marks agrees: "I want to be with Lillian for the rest of my life."
Watch their sweet wedding ceremony:
As for their honeymoon, they're in no rush. “We celebrate every day,” Hartley told The Desert Sun. After a pause, she added, “I might go to Swiss Donut and have one of the nice donuts.”
—Kristen O'Gorman Klein
Related:
78 Years and Counting: The Longest Married Couple
Woman Weds on Her 100th Birthday
Meet the Couple Who Inspired "The Vow"
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