WW2 Veteran Gets 'Dream' Wedding... 75 Years After Proposing

Two great-grandparents who had a quick wedding because the groom was fighting in World War Two finally had their dream big day - 75 years later.

Dick Lee, 94, was serving his country as a coast guard in the Second World War when he proposed to his high-school sweetheart in a love letter.

While he was on leave in 1943, the pair tied the knot in a quiet civil ceremony in Indianapolis, US, although they later regretted never having an official church wedding.

The wife, Helen Lee, said: “When I went home and told my dad that I had got married he was very upset. At first he was quiet, and then he just walked away."

Three-quarters of a century later, the staff at Elmcroft Nursing Home in Fort Harrison, Indiana, granted the couple’s longstanding wish and threw them a surprise wedding.

Holly Coulter, the home’s Healthy Lifestyle Director and the mastermind behind the big day, said:

"It was all organized without them knowing what was going on."

Guests dined on a first-class meal, with a wedding cake that had been iced with anchors to symbolize Mr Lee’s naval past.

Ms Coulter said: “We invited friends and family, church people and the new friends that they have made since moving into the nursing home."

It was an emotional day for everyone involved - including the groom.

He said: “I had never had the occasion to wear a tux before. It was quite an experience to wear one, complete with a yellow bow tie.

"I can’t put it into words, it was just wonderful."

For Mrs Lee, it was hard to believe her lifelong dream had come true: “I couldn’t believe everything that was going on. I was awestruck.

“It was beyond my wildest dreams."

“When we went in there to get a soda, I knew exactly what I wanted. I’m not talking about the sodas - I liked the guy!

“After that, I went there every day,” Mrs Lee remembered.

Dick used to cycle over to Helen’s house after work and bring her her favourite sundae - vanilla ice-cream with extra chocolate and butterscotch.

On their first date, it was clear that the adoring couple were meant for one another.

Helen, a retired bank-teller, said: “We had more than one kiss on our first date. I dated nobody but him.

“When I found him I knew what I wanted.”

But they have faced their hurdles as a couple, the most significant of which being Dick’s time spent at war.

Love letters got them through the time spent apart, which they marked with numbers so they could be read in sequence.

“I felt wonderful when he came home, because then we got to start our own home,” Mrs Lee said.

Two weddings and many offspring later, what is their secret to such a long and happy marriage?

“We’ve never gone to bed at night upset with each other,” Dick said.

For Mrs Lee, their long-term happiness is down to the fact that “we always tell each other we love each other. We sometimes say it three times a day."

Newly married for a second time, the silver-haired couple are just as loved-up as ever.

“My favourite thing about Dick is that he loves me, and I love him,” the bride said.

Mr Lee added: “She puts up with a lot. I know that we’ve always been in love with each other, and that will continue as long as we live.

“When we go, we’re going together."