Ivan Brown, 63, and fiancee Barbara Furlonger, 55 kept delaying their wedding since they were busy with work and because the perfectionist Barbara wished to have time to organise every detail of their big day, the Mirror reported Monday.

Just when Barbara retired, she spent 12 months planning the perfect wedding.

Barbara said: "I can't believe the day has finally arrived and we are husband and wife. It's been a marathon engagement. I never really doubted it would happen as we always said we'd get married one day."

"With both of us working .....and being on call, we rarely had the same weekend off," she recalled.

"We got engaged when we had been together for two years but we didn't even have time for a proper party then."

"When I retired last year, I asked Ivan if I should arrange the wedding now and he said yes. I was quite shocked."

"I like to organise things with military precision and I've enjoyed having time to devote to all the arrangements," Barbara said.

"If I'd arranged a wedding when I was stressed and busy with work, things would have gone wrong and I'd have got upset."

"I felt relaxed and serene on the day. It was definitely worth the wait."

The couple will spend their honeymoon in the Channel Islands.