'We found love against the odds - miles apart, 22-yr age gap and three weddings'
Adventure, friendship and fun. That’s what I hoped for when I left my home in Los Angeles to go travelling in January 2017, aged 21. The very last thing I was looking for was a British boyfriend who lived an ocean away.
But love has a funny way of finding you when you least expect it.
I was in the pool in Thailand a few months later when I first saw George. That evening we talked over a drink, and I felt a connection with this good-looking, confident guy.
It wasn’t until he joined my friends and I in a nearby village a few days later that we really clicked. Hours flew by as we talked about our lives and families. This wasn’t the usual traveller chit chat, it felt special. We were together from that moment on.
But everything was about to change. I had my first big job lined up in LA and George needed to return to Slough in England to see his family. From being together 24/7 we were about to be 5,400 miles apart.
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The couple felt an instant connection (COLLECT)We were determined to make it work. Even before our tearful airport goodbye we had a plan for me to come to the UK and him to America. We loved each other and would do whatever it took. We’d need that determination – long-distance love is hard. The eight-hour time difference meant that in order to speak George had to stay up late and I got up early. My limited holiday time meant it fell to George to make the long flights to see me.
But love got us through. We talked constantly, had virtual dates where we watched the same movie an ocean apart and made the most of every minute.
With communication and trust, we became stronger. Two years of long-distance love later, we both quit our jobs and went travelling in 2019. It was incredible to be together again.
We knew we’d found our perfect person. So, when Covid separated us again in May 2020, we jumped into action. In October I flew to the UK, and we married in a tiny civil ceremony. Returning to the US while my visa was processed was tough. I never wanted us to be apart again. But at least we knew how to make long-distance work.
With paperwork finally in place, three months later I could join George in England and our new life could begin. In December 2022 we had a second wedding in California. Saying our vows on the beach felt incredible. We knew we’d never have to be apart again.
- Follow Hanna and George on Instagram @americanandthebrit
'We have a 22-year age gap!'
Every morning I wake up, look at Val and smile. How on earth did this gorgeous, funny and vivacious woman become mine?
Val is 22 years older than I am, and I know that people find our age-gap surprising. But after more than two decades together we’ve proved the doubters wrong. I really am the luckiest man alive.
I first saw Val in 2002, walking down the high street in Worksop. She just radiated joy.
Clive and Val now after meeting 22 years ago (COLLECT)
The couple getting married in 2005 (COLLECT)Then, soon after, I was in a cafe when I heard someone talking about Spain. I turned around – it was Val. We immediately fell into conversation. She was so easy to talk to that soon I was sharing that I was separated, and she told me that she’d been widowed twice.
I felt a strong connection between us, and when she left, I discovered that she’d paid for my scone. I was determined to return the favour.
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Then, 10 days later I heard the sound of high heels on the pavement and there she was. My heart skipped a beat to see her again, and we arranged to meet for a coffee.
Soon we were meeting every day. But that’s when it became clear that not everyone was happy to see us together. I was 39, Val was 61, and friends were warning her that I was only after her money. When she told her dad that she’d met ‘a young man’ he said, ‘Don’t get excited because he won’t want you, darling’.
We both thought it was ridiculous. We didn’t even think about our ages. What no one else knew was that, before I’d met Val, I’d decided to go and live in Thailand.
My mum was Thai and it’s traditional for a son to live in a monastery. I didn’t know when, or if, I’d ever return. For four months in Thailand, Val never left my mind. I knew then that I cared for her deeply. I left the monastery and called her.
‘Val, I love you and I’m coming back. I want us to be together.’ We were both in tears. Our reunion on the train platform was incredible. We never wanted to be apart again.
Engaged 18 months later, even more people raised their eyebrows. They just couldn’t accept the age difference, or believe that I was with Val because I truly loved her. We ignored them all.
When we married in September 2005 it was joyful. We were proving everyone wrong, and 18 years later we still are. I know we’re soulmates. Age is just a number. It’s love that truly matters.
'I'm Catholic and he's Hindu - we had three weddings!'
Some love stories are a romantic whirlwind. Others, like ours, take years from first sight to ‘I do’.
I first spotted Ajay in 2007, when we were 18 and both engineering students in Mumbai. He was at a class picnic joking around, and we had friends in common. Soon we were all hanging out together.
India is a very traditional place, and when Ajay asked me out it took me a month to say yes. Even then, our date had other people there with us. We had fun and continued to spend time together. We’d break away from the group to take a motorbike ride or sit together over coffee.
But while I enjoyed spending time with him, marriage was the last thing on my mind. I was young and didn’t know what the future held. But there was another, bigger issue. Ajay was Hindu and I was Catholic. That didn’t impact us being friends at all, but I knew if we were to become serious, it would.
The couple say patience was key (COLLECT)I didn’t have siblings and Ajay was the only son, so there were family expectations on us both. The traditional culture around us was not supportive of interfaith relationships. So as our feelings grew, and we knew that this was love, we had many conversations about what the future might look like for us.
When I worried that his family might not accept me, or would expect me to convert, Ajay was so respectful of me and my beliefs, and never pressured me. It made me love him even more. With patience and honesty our love grew, but we didn’t tell our families a thing.
Finally, after three years, my mum sat Ajay down and asked him outright, ‘Are you dating my daughter?’ Thankfully she accepted our relationship. Two years later he finally told his family. While some were shocked, most were pleasantly surprised. Soon everyone came around to the idea.
Lavina and Ajay on their wedding day (COLLECT)People still said because of our different religions our relationship wouldn’t work. But we loved each other and wanted to be together. As for wedding planning, organising one isn’t easy, but in January 2014 we had three!
The first was civil, the second Catholic and the third Hindu. It was exhausting. A few months later we moved to the UK.
It wasn’t easy, but I’m so glad that we didn’t let our differences stop us from being together. A decade on we’re more in love than ever.
- Follow Lavinia on Instagram @continent.hop
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