77-Year-Old Woman Marries Herself in Joyful Ceremony: “This Is Something I’ve Always Wanted”
In a beautiful celebration of self-love and second chances, 77-year-old Dorothy Fideli recently married herself in a romantic ceremony held at her senior living community in Ohio. Dressed in a white gown and veil and carrying a bouquet of red and white roses, Dorothy finally got the “happily ever after” she’d always dreamed of.
“This is something I’ve always wanted,” Dorothy shared in an interview with WLWT. “I wanted to get married and have a happy life, but things didn’t work out that way. Now I have a second chance to do something just for me.”
A mother of three, Dorothy was previously married in 1965—but it was far from the fairytale wedding she had imagined. The courthouse ceremony was brief and uneventful, and her husband returned to work while she went home. The couple divorced nine years later. “I wore a black dress,” she recalled, laughing. “I was doomed from the start!”
The idea to marry herself was sparked after she saw a woman do the same during a talk show interview. That moment planted the seed for something bold and joyful. “Sometimes I do silly things around here just to make people laugh,” she said. “If I see everyone feeling down, I put on a fun outfit and come out to cheer them up.”
Dorothy planned every detail of her special day—from the decorations to the food. She even recruited Rob Geiger, the retirement home’s property manager, to officiate. “I walked in and told Rob, ‘You’re going to marry me,’” she told Today with a grin.
Her friend Donna Pennington also lent a hand, helping Dorothy find the perfect dress, cook for the event, and organize the flowers. “Love is the most important thing in this world,” Dorothy told WLWT. “And if you love God and you love yourself, the world becomes a field of roses.”