(cache)Wedding between 70-somethings Nadine Dowling and Brian Kavanagh in Hull

Read more from The Big Day, The Boston Globe’s new weddings column.

Brian Kavanagh had been on hold with Match.com’s customer service hotline for an hour. The muzak that droned on added to his mounting frustration, as did the fact that it was March 2009, and his regional cellphone plan was charging him for a long-distance call to the dating site’s Dallas headquarters.

However, nothing was more stressful than the stakes of losing the woman he was seeing — and really, really liked — after she had accused him of betrayal.

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‘No way in hell, wild animal, you’re not disrupting my engagement!’Some bad luck — and one well-timed act of kindness — sparked their true romance

The day before their wedding, Nadine and Brian hosted their rehearsal on the Parrot's backdeck. As regulars, they chose the Hull restaurant for its familiarity and hospitable staff. "It's like going to your family's house to have an event," says Nadine. Skip Tull

Nadine's favorite memory from the wedding was reaching Brian at the end of the aisle, where he kissed her hand. "I was surprised, but then touched, and then [had] recognition of 'what would you have expected?' This is who he is," she says. "He's a very kind, gentle, loving, considerate man and that's why I fell in love with him."Skip Tull

After they said "I do," the couple exchanged matching titanium bands with black sapphires from Jared. "It's something I'll wear for the rest of my life," says Brian. "And she is my life." Skip Tull

The wedding featured a remembrance table with photos of loved ones who had passed; included was a photo of Gary the Seagull, an injured bird Nadine had rescued from behind their Hull home. The couple spent about a year and a half caring for Gary before he wasn't seen again. "[Brian] never complained," says Nadine. "He understood that I have a deep respect for life."Skip Tull

"This [wedding] really came to be what we wanted," says Nadine. "We wanted a party — people were having fun, the DJ was doing his thing ... everybody was having a good time and celebrating with us."Skip Tull

After 16 years, Nadine Dowling walked herself down the aisle to Brian Kavanagh as ‘At Last’ played

The couple, now both in their 70s, met on Match.com in 2009. They wed in September at their favorite hangout, the Parrot in Hull.

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