They first crossed paths in a busy daycare centre. Peggy told James she felt lonely. So he asked her on a date to the beach.
Three days later, James proposed, but not on bended knee - because of what he describes as his creaky joints. Peggy accepted and their whirlwind romance became a record-breaking marriage.
With an aggregate age of 177, James Mason (93) and Peggy Clark (84) marked St Valentine's Day by again becoming the world's oldest newlyweds when they tied the knot for the second time in Killarney.
The couple, who lived just a mile apart in Devon, England, met last November and were married in a civil ceremony within three weeks.
However, they were disappointed with the vows exchanged during the civil ceremony and wanted something more meaningful, so they travelled to Co Kerry, where Peggy had previously lived, to do it all once more.
"It was a wonderful day, the sun was shining and I'm just so happy we now have a blessing on our marriage. It's the best day of our lives," Peggy said.
Yesterday's ceremony took place in the middle of the couple's initial honeymoon, for which they purchased a camper van that Peggy has steered from Devon, through Wales, on the ferry to Rosslare and across the breadth of Ireland to Co Kerry.
From Killarney, the couple plan to return to the UK by road to Richmond in north Yorkshire, where Peggy was born. They'll then drive to Scotland, before heading to Devon.
"I had never driven anything as big as a camper van before, but James inspired me by saying 'you can do anything', so I did. We haven't caused any chaos on the roads yet," Peggy said.
She added that meeting James has provided the best possible cure for loneliness. "Anybody who is lonely should go out and find somebody. There is someone for everyone and if you stay at home alone you will never find happiness."
