John Ogilvie thought playing the bagpipes for Princess Margaret would be the highlight of his day, but that was before he met the love of his life.
Hours later, on that fateful day in the 1950s, he locked eyes with Christena on a dancefloor – and immediately fell head over heels.
The connection between the couple was instant and the pair tied the knot at Ruthven Church in Perthshire a few years later.
Today, they celebrate their 71st Valentine’s Day together.
John, 92, and Christena, 88, have three children together, Moira, John Angus and Calum Grant, as well as three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Sharing tips on their long and happy marriage, they said the key is to always be considerate and respectful to each other, and to always love each other unconditionally.
Even after 71 years together, John and Christena are still as inseparable and devoted to each other as they were when their first love first began to blossom.
The couple will mark their Valentine Day’s anniversary with a special date night at Grove Care Home in Kemnay, where they moved together at the end of last year.
William Narvaez, care home manager, said: “John and Christena are a wonderful couple and we are honoured to have them stay at Grove with us.
“After all these years, every morning their faces light up when they see each other and you can really see and feel the love they have for each other.
“Their marriage is a great example of true love and their energy is infectious to everyone around them.”
‘We are soulmates’
Just a few miles away, George and Margaret Simpson will also celebrate a milestone in their decades long marriage.
The couple, from Aberdeen, will mark their 57th Valentine’s Day together at the city’s Cowdray Club care home.
They met in 1966 during a chance encounter at Aberdeen’s Tivoli Theatre, where Mrs Smith was working as an usherette.
Mr Smith said he knew she was “the one for him” as soon as he laid eyes on her, and the pair got married two years later on November 15.
They went on to welcome two children, Mark and Craig, and are grandparents of five.
The hardest thing for them was when they had to live apart from each other due to a period of ill health, which Mr Smith described as like “losing a limb”.
It was a “dream come true” when they were once again reunited at the Cowdray Club where they can now enjoy the rest of their days with their “soulmate”.
Mr Smith said: “We love each other very much and I can’t imagine life any other way, but let me be clear – it’s not always been easy and like every relationship we have our ups and downs.
“That’s normal. But we know we are soulmates and the good times always outweigh the bad times.”
Conversation