Golden day for couple three times wed

When Moreen Wilkes walked down the aisle three years ago she had a sense of deja vu – which isn't surprising, as it was the third time she had done it.

Former teachers Moreen and Brian Wilkes from West Bromwich have got married to each other three times.

"With each ceremony we said exactly what we had said to each other the first time we got married in July 1956," says Moreen, aged 74, who lives on Temple Meadows Road in West Bromwich.

"We chose the old version of the service which starts with the declaration of consent followed by the vows and then the giving of the rings – it was like stepping back in time."

The couple, who have two sons – Simon and Timothy – and three grandchildren, had their first wedding in Liverpool and Brian, aged 77, says the weather wasn't great.

"On the day it was thundering – like the crash of doom," he jokes. "I had travelled up from West Bromwich and when I got there I realised I'd forgotten my shoes. I ended up having to go into Liverpool just before the wedding to get some new shoes."

Moreen says they were both nervous on their first wedding day.

"It was all about economy because we didn't have much money," she says. "My dress had been made for me and we didn't exchange rings – in those days it was normal for the bride to be the only one with a ring. I had a beautiful bouquet of red roses as my flowers and our reception was held in my parent's front room."

The couple met while studying to be teachers at Oxford University and they hit it off at a dance.

Moreen says: "For most of the night I danced with one of Brian's friends but then I saw him sat in the corner and went over to talk to him.

"Brian had got two black eyes and a broken nose following an accident during a football match – but his appearance didn't put me off.

"We got talking and dated for three years before we got married."

Moreen was from Liverpool and Brian lived in West Bromwich so after leaving university the couple corresponded by letter.

"In those days we didn't have mobile phones or texting so we wrote letters to each other every other day," she says. "Then every other weekend we would visit each other on the train as neither of us had a car."

After they got married they had to make a decision about which part of the country they were going to live in.

"We could afford a house in West Bromwich so I left Liverpool and came to work in the Black Country," says Moreen.

Brian taught horticulture and PE at Yew Tree Primary School, Great Wyrley High School and Hamstead Junior School, while Moreen taught child development at Bilston and Dudley colleges.

Brian says: "Moreen has always been the rudder who has steered us both in the right direction. Now we are both retired we get to spend a lot more time together than we used to."

For their 40th anniversary the couple decided to get married in the chapel at the Black Country Living Museum, where they are volunteers.

"We hadn't done much for our 25th wedding anniversary so when our 40th came around, we thought we would renew our vows," says Moreen. "The chapel isn't licensed for weddings but we decided to ask the Bishop of Dudley if he would re-marry us.

"I made my dress out of Laura Ashley fabric, I borrowed the hat and my grandchildren were bridesmaids and pageboys.

"It was a lovely weekend, which we did in a living history-style, and for both our 40th and 50th anniversaries the weather has been nicer than it was on our wedding day."

Getting married again on their golden anniversary was their son Timothy's idea. "We had a lot of our friends and family come to the celebrations for our 50th anniversary and it was amazing to have some of the people there that had been at our wedding in 1956," says Moreen.

"Even my little bridesmaid Hannah Bates, who was 50 years older, came along – it was a wonderful day. Believe it or not, me and Brian are not party types. However we love family get togethers and this has been a good excuse to get everyone in the same room to celebrate with us."