A couple have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary by wearing the same outfits they wore on their big day, and they were still a perfect fit.

Carole-Ann, 71, and Jim Stanfield, 74, from Tamworth, Staffordshire, have just celebrated their golden wedding anniversary – and they were stunned to discover Carole-Ann’s wedding dress and Jim’s suit are still a perfect fit half a century later.

Their outfits had been gathering dust in the loft, but when granddaughter Hayley came to visit she found the gown when she went to look for some family photos.

Hayley, from Yorkshire, begged her grandparents to try on the outfits – and they were gobsmacked to discover they still fitted as well as they did on their wedding day on October 1 1966.

Carole-Ann and Jim decided to bring the outfits back to life and wear them to thier party celebrating their milestone anniversary.

Guests at the party, many of whom were at the wedding 50 years ago, were shocked to see the pair decked out in their original wedding gear.

Carole-Ann, a retired sales negotiator, said: ‘When Hayley discovered we still had our wedding outfits, she said we should try them on to see if they still fit.

‘Jim went up and dug them out – Hayley insisted we put them on, but I said no – they’d been in the loft and they were dusty and smelly.

‘But she begged and pleaded, so we did it for her – we were gobsmacked when we discovered they still fitted perfectly.

‘She said we should have a party wearing them, and we thought that since we could still get into them we’d have a big party to celebrate our golden anniversary.

‘A lot of people knew we were going to wear them, but they were still stunned to see us in them.

‘A lot of people who came were also there for our wedding day, so it was really special.

‘They were all shocked to see us in the original outfits again – but they all said it still looked stunning.

‘Hayley wanted us to renew our vows too, so she could be a bridesmaid – but we’ve always stuck to our original vows, so we didn’t see the point.’

The pair, who originally honeymooned in Malta, are now planning a second honeymoon to Turkey.

Carole-Ann, who has two children and six grandchildren with Jim, said the secret to their long and happy marriage is plenty of laughter.

The pair met at the men’s club where Jim worked in 1962, four years before they wed – and although it took him three months to win her over, they have been together ever since.

Carole-Ann added: ‘Jim loved my big blonde hair, and I loved his humour – he is such a comedian and always makes me laugh. I think that’s the key.

‘We have very different interests and hobbies, but the laughter is what keeps us strong.’

To celebrate their anniversary, Carole-Ann and Jim added two hearts to their wedding rings, made from precious gold that Jim found with his metal detector – on top of the 25 diamonds they added to celebrate their diamond 25th anniversary, and four rubies to celebrate their 40th.

Jim, who used to work for Jaguar, said: ‘It’s incredible to think this gold has been in the ground for thousands of years, but I was able to find it and use it on our wedding rings.

‘They look fantastic and it’s made them even more special.

‘These days it’s all internet dating, and we probably never would have met that way because our interests are so different.

‘But we both have a lot of respect for each other and we have a lot of laughs, and that’s why it works.’

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