Second Timers

A small article in the Times last week caught my eye, declaring that Italy had become the biggest convert to civil weddings in recent years.  For a country steeped in the traditions of the church, this is revolutionary news!  Whether it is just the fact that Italy happens to have an excess of over-the-top romantic sites, with its ancient villas, stunning vistas and the lure of that warm southern climate, and that the owners of these idyllic venues have suddenly realised their commercial possibilities, or whether there is, in fact, a fundamental sea change in thinking about how to tie the knot, doesn’t really matter. 

The fact is, it is happening, and interestingly, it is often what I call ‘second-timers’, who are choosing this type of wedding.  This may be because there are still issues in Italy with divorce for those with a Catholic background about remarrying in church, or it may be that people generally feel more relaxed with the informal style of a civil wedding, where they can have more autonomy about how it is designed, and it suits them better at this stage in life. 

Whatever the reason, I have found these second, or even third marriages, to be incredibly poignant, underpinned as they are with the trials and tribulations that have already been faced in life, and demonstrating admirable courage in the celebration of their newfound love. 

There has been something of an epidemic lately, with numbers up significantly, not just in Italy, for those remarrying in their late sixties and early seventies, proving once again that it is never too late to find lasting happiness, and that hope springs eternal.