17 May 2023 , 15:01
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A 77-year-old woman who says that her first marriage was "doomed" from the very start, has now begun all over again, saying "I do" to herself in a full-blown wedding.
Dorothy 'Dottie' Fideli donned a white wedding gown with a veil to marry herself, having previously believed it might be "too late" to have the wedding of her dreams.
The mother-of-three previously tied the knot in a brief ceremony in 1965, after which her new husband went straight to work and she went home. The couple divorced nine years later, and as Dorothy herself put it, she's now been with herself for forty years.
Dottie has been with herself for 40 years (today)Reminiscing about her first wedding in an interview with Today, Dottie remarked: "I wore a black dress, so I was doomed before I got started".
Dottie, who lives at the O'Bannon Terrace retirement community in Goshen, Ohio, first got the idea to marry herself from a friend who'd seen a similar ceremony take place on a TV talk show.
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She explained: "I said, you know what, I've done everything else. Why not? I'm going to marry myself."
Dottie says her first marriage was 'doomed' from the start (today)Dottie's daughter Donna Pennington thought it was a wonderful idea. She helped sort out all the cooking ahead of the big day and decorated the community room of her mother's retirement home.
Guests were served slices from a two-tiered white cake patterned with red roses, plus heart-shaped cookies and finger sandwiches shaped like wedding bells.
The bride wore a pretty white dress with sheer sleeves, finished off with a silver belt and a veil fastened with a beautifully embellished headband. Although she was "nervous" to tie the knot a second time around, she was also excited.
Dottie said: "I told my daughter, I said, 'This is the best thing that I've ever had, outside of having you kids. This is what I've always wanted and I'm so happy that you (gave) it to me."
Dottie was 'nervous' but 'excited' ahead of her big day (today)In a separate interview with KCEN, Dottie reflected: "I never thought I'd look this pretty. It's emotional for me. Because this is something I've always wanted."
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