He’s 90, she’s 86… they’re newlyweds! This loved-up couple couldn’t wait to become husband and wife!

When Woman’s Day met lovebirds Jean Stewart and John Farquharson in January this year, the octogenarians from Townsville, Queensland, had just become engaged after meeting in a nursing home two years previously.

Determined to make their union official, the couple recently tied the knot in a romantic ceremony on John’s 90th birthday. “Marrying Jean was like striking gold,” says the delighted groom. “My heart hasn’t stopped thumping. She’s beautiful.” The sprightly couple – with a combined age of 176 years – exchanged vows at the Townsville home of Jean’s daughter in front of 30 friends and family members.

“They’re so much in love, it’s just wonderful,” says celebrant Dianne Sherrington, who watched on as the newlyweds enjoyed their first dance to the music of country crooner Jim Reeves.

“You’ve made me the happiest woman in the world,” says Jean to John, stealing a kiss from the former naval seaman who, she says, has given her a new lease on life. “It was a perfect day,” she says of their nuptials. “John and I couldn’t be happier.” John, who had been a bachelor all his life, adds, “I didn’t expect it to take this long to meet the woman of my dreams! But it’s been well worth the wait.”

Read more of our "you're never too old stories" in our real life special in this week's Woman's Day, on sale October 10, 2011.