Long wait for western-style wedding belles
Love was in the air as 20 elderly couples, wearing western-style wedding suits and bridal gowns for the first time, renewed their vows in a joint wedding ceremony yesterday.
'This is the first time we have dressed up in western-style wedding suits and dresses, and we feel happy about it,' said Ho Yuk-sang, 89, and Tsui Wai-ling, 88, who have been married for 60 years.
'We got married during the Japanese occupation in Guangzhou. We did not have a grand wedding like this back then,' they said.
Mr Ho recalled how his wife took care of his family while he was on the run from the Japanese.
'It was about life and death, and my wife extended her love for me to my family and took good care of them, especially my old mother. That is unconditional love and I thank her for it,' he said.
Another couple also shared the thrill of donning wedding suits and dresses.
'I did not have a western wedding gown when I got married. My dream has finally come true,' said 75-year-old Wong Wai-hang. She has been married to Lai Kok-lung, 84, for half a century.
'My wife looks prettier every year to me. She looks lovely in both western and Chinese wedding dresses,' Mr Lai said.
The couple said the secret to their long-lasting relationship was patience. 'Calm down and avoid direct confrontation. Talk to your partner about your problems and sadness, and offer support to your loved ones,' they said.
Mr Lai has been ill and in a wheelchair for more than a decade.
'My wife cuts my food up and feeds me sometimes when I feel very sick. I feel blessed to have her as my wife,' he said.
The wedding in a Lok Fu shopping centre was organised by the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Wong Tai Sin District Elderly Community Centre.
