Double platinum: Couples celebrate 70 years since joint wedding

Two couples who got married together in 1955 have put the foundation of their 70 years of marriage down to spending plenty of time apart.

Tommy Budge and Thelma Bruce had a joint ceremony with Tommy's older sister Violet Budge and Leslie Flett in Kirkwall, Orkney.

The four have now marked the rare double platinum anniversary together, this time with their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren for company.

They described their earlier times together as days of leaving post-it notes for each other rather than phone calls or modern-day text messages, and joked that time spent apart had helped them stay together.

Thelma is now 87, Tommy is 89, Violet is 91, with Leslie now aged 94. Between them, they have seven children, eight grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

The joint wedding on 9 April 1955 came about due to Tommy being called away for national service with the army.

Violet and Leslie already had a date set for their ceremony.

With Tommy's time at home limited, they all decided they would combine their big day.

The ceremony was conducted by a family friend, who was the registrar at that time, in the local Balfour Hospital, where the registry office was situated.

Thelma describes it as having been a flying visit for Tommy.

"He came home on the Friday, we got married on the Saturday, and he went away again on the Monday," she recalled.

Violet remembers their double wedding as a relatively simple process.

"Two of us stood up and got married and then we changed places, and the next two got married," she said. "I think me and Les, went first."

After the ceremony and photographs being taken, they all headed to the home of Leslie's parents.

This was the moment Violet tried Champagne.

"I said it was the first time I had ever tasted Champagne and the last time," she recalled.

"Oh I did not like it - it wasn't my cup of tea at all," she laughed.

It was then on to Violet and Tommy's parents for a meal of chicken and potatoes for about 30 guests.

Both couples had to spend long periods apart at times because of work commitments.

This is something they joke was perhaps part of the reason for their long marriages.

Tommy travelled, as a lighthouse keeper, while for much of her working life Violet was on the night shift in local hospitals.

Violet said: "My secret was I worked at nights, I was home during the day, and I was out every night.

"And my man worked during the day, and he was home every night, that was the secret - to avoid each other."

She added: "I used to write messages on post-it notes and stuck it on the mirror. He he would see it and he could read it and he could answer it and did the same thing for me. That was how we got on."

Thelma said it had been similar for her and Tommy, who was in the army for three years before starting work as a lighthouse keeper.

"Seventy married, maybe 35 years together," she said with a smile.

She continued: "Firstly he had around 18 months of training where I never saw him. Then he was two months away, two weeks home.

"It was only latterly that the unions got it month-on month-off."

The quartet live in Orkney, just a few miles apart. They were delighted to receive a card from King Charles and Queen Camilla, having been sent similar god wishes by Queen Elizabeth to mark their 60th and 65th anniversaries.

Violet said: "The first card that we got, we thought, oh my God, a card from the Queen - unbelievable.

"Then the next one came around, another one from the Queen, and we thought, wonder if we will be here for (King) Charles when he gets to the throne.

"Postman came the other day and it arrived and I thought 'oh lovely'."

Coincidentally they share an anniversary with the King and Queen, who were married 20 years ago on 9 April.

Violet said: "It's a day I thought we would never, ever reach.

"It is just beyond anybody's expectations I think, especially to have all four of us here and able to take part. It's just unbelievable."

And what is Violet's advice to other married couples?

"Take each day as it comes," she said.