AN elderly couple are feeling all loved-up after renewing their wedding vows during an “unbelievable” ceremony arranged by care home workers.

Brian and Cynthia Young, who are both aged 80, originally tied the knot in Bexley, Kent, back in 1969 when they were 28-years-old, before honeymooning in Bournemouth.

Since December, the besotted pair have been living apart, after Brian moved into the Delamer House care home in Walton.

Due to his dementia, Brian sometimes does not understand why he can no longer live with his wife at their home in Kirby Cross.

During a recent beach walk with Cynthia and their daughter Jo Stehle, 49, Brian suggested the couple renew their wedding vows.

Clacton and Frinton Gazette:

“He lost his wedding ring during their honeymoon, so he kept asking, ‘How do people know we are still married if we do not live together?’,” added Jo.

“He said he wanted everyone to know that they are still each other’s and it was just so sweet, so he asked me to get him a ring.

“If I am honest, at first, I just went along with it thinking he might forget and was not being serious.

“But when we dropped him back off he mentioned it again and told me to tell the staff.

“So I told them what he wanted to do and it was a flippant comment, but the manager, Julie Curtis then told us to leave it with her.”

One week later, Jo took her mum to visit Brian so they could celebrate their 52nd wedding anniversary with what they thought was going to be a simple afternoon tea.

Shortly after arriving, Brian appeared with a bouquet of flowers and asked Cynthia to marry him.

She laughed thinking he was joking and then replied with: ‘I will tell you tomorrow’ - a reference to what she said when he first popped the question more than five decades before.

It quickly became clear, however, Brian’s idea to renew their vows was a serious one, and Cynthia was soon being helped into a wedding dress donated by one of the carers.

The couple, along with Jo and the care home’s staff and residents, were then ushered into the main lounge which had been transformed for the occasion.

They then had their wedding vows officially renewed by vicar the Rev Peter Edwards, from the All Saints’ Parish Church in Walton before celebrating.

Jo, who has two daughters, added: “My mum never even had a dress on her original wedding day and they only had nine guests, so this ended up being a bigger do.

“There were champagne glasses, bunting, all the lady residents had a hat on and were dressed up, we had a dinner and there was a playlist of all their favourite songs.

“It was unbelievable. My mum looked so lovely and my dad even had someone’s suit on, and he now finally has a wedding ring.”

Jo has now thanked the care home workers for pulling off the astounding gesture, saying it has helped the family overcome a difficult time.

She said: “I am their only child but I have two teenage daughters, Charlotte and Jessica, who really are the apple of my dad’s eye.

“The last few months have been really tough for them and all of us because we had no choice but to put him in the home.

“But the brilliant and amazing care home staff have given us so much support and they have gone above and beyond to do this for him.

“We will never forget this and what they have done, they have given us the most wonderful memories of my mum and dad.”