Two decades ago, on her 70th birthday, Cecily had but one gift request: “Do you know what I would really like for my birthday?” She asked her long-time partner Terry, “Oh bugger,” replied Terry, “I think I know this one.”
The answer was a diamond ring; Cecily wanted the couple to wed.
Terry, while smitten with Cecily, was less inclined. They’d both been married before.
“Why spoil a good thing?” Terry joked, instead offering a cunning counter-offer he thought could never be redeemed. The Manly resident said he’d agree to holy matrimony if:
1/ She falls pregnant (Cecily was 70 at the time). or,
2/ He turns 90. (Terry was 70 at the time and had no expectation of lasting another two decades!).
Well, the cheeky Englishman had the blessing of a long life and turned 90 in 2025; and Cecily the blessing of an excellent memory.
After a 20 year engagement, the couple married a fortnight ago.
“I think I’ve had the longest engagement anyone knows!” Cecily told Manly Observer at their wedding venue (their backyard), last week.
“Mind you, I didn’t think I’d make 90,” Terry exclaims.
“Mind you, I didn’t think I’d make 90!”
Joking aside, the newlyweds described their wedding day as nothing short of beautiful. Around 70 people, including great grand-children joined to witness the couple’s overdue celebration of love on 29 December 2025.
Terry said he had particularly enjoyed that his prized garden was on display for their guests to admire. Cecily loved that this time around she had been given away by her son.
Although the couple had lived whole other lives apart, their story tells a journey of a lifetime.
Before they were lovers, they were friends through their respective businesses. Terry ran a delicatessen on Darley Road – not far from their Manly home, and Cecily owned a restaurant.
About 38 years ago, after being recently divorced, Cecily asked Terry to accompany her to a function, and the rest is history.
The pair’s families chipped in to ensure their wedding day was as monumental as the engagement leading to it. Terry’s grandson manned the bar, his niece crafted Cecily’s makeup while the bride’s niece wrapped her in the preferred ‘gown’ of choice.
“I felt elegant in my suit, I was not a bride,” Cecily said, highlighting the contrast of her more mature teal blue pantsuit to the traditional white wedding dress.
“She looked lovely… really good,” Terry added, “But then overnight she changed back to her old self!”
The newlyweds have a very playful, poking repartee.
Terry watched his bride walk down the aisle to Nat King Cole’s classic, ‘When I Fall In Love.’
The ceremony was filled with laughter, such as Cecily’s claims of Terry almost dropping the ring, which he contends was part of the act. And then the celebrant, ‘Marry Me, Mary’, announced the two as husband and wife as they embraced each other as a married couple for the first time among a sea of cheers from family and friends.
Keeping their tradition of the untraditional, Terry and Cecily will retain their last names as they still hold their individuality and connections to their families. But, they will make an exception for conventions by embarking on a Honeymoon cruise around New Zealand.
After two weeks of marriage, we asked the newlyweds if anything had felt different since their big day. In true fashion, the pair say there has only been one argument, but as any other they’ve had, it was of little significance.
“The beautiful thing about Cecily is, if we have a bit of a spat, it’s all over and done with the next day. If she goes to bed not being very pleased with me when she wakes up, she’s forgotten,” Terry laughed.
“Not forgotten,” Cecily snapped back, “forgiven!”
