British couple become world's oldest newlyweds

EASTBOURNE, UK: A 103-year-old man and a 91-year-old woman held their wedding in Britain on Saturday, becoming the oldest couple to get married in the world.

George Kirby and Doreen Luckie -- together for 27 years -- looked delighted as they tied the knot at a hotel in the seaside town of Eastbourne, southern England, before close friends and family.

The bride wore a white dress with blue flowers while the groom, a former boxer, was dressed smartly in a suit and tie, and was in a wheelchair -- bedecked with the logo of the London 2012 Paralympics -- after sustaining bruising during a recent fall.

With a combined age of 194 years, the pair beat the previous record held by a French couple, Francois Fernandez and Madeleine Francineau, who had a combined age of 191 years.

Speaking ahead of the ceremony, Luckie said the couple had "no regrets" about not doing it earlier. "We didn´t want to bother about marriage before but eventually we did it," she said.

The couple reportedly have seven children, 15 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren between them.

They got engaged on Valentine´s Day this year, according to the Daily Mail.

"I didn´t get down on one knee, because I don´t think I would have been able to get back up," the newspaper quoted Kirby as saying.

Despite the long wait, "friends and relatives weren´t really surprised" by the proposal, Doreen told AFP.

"They knew George and me have been together for a long time," explained the newlywed.

The couple have "not yet decided where to go for our honeymoon", she added.