A 96-year-old woman has broken marriage records after tying the knot with a teenager nearly 80 years her junior. The unnamed woman married an 18-year-old man in what is said to be the widest age gap wedding in Mexico - a staggering 78 years.
Ceremony in Quintana Roo
The ceremony was held in Quintana Roo, a state on the Yucatán Peninsula in southeastern Mexico - the same state that's home to Cancún, a popular holiday destination among Brits. It came to light in the Marriage Statistics (EMAT) from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), but due to the official nature of the documents, little else is known about the nuptials.
Yet the Othón P. Blanco municipality ceremony isn't the only significant age-gap wedding to take place in Mexico in 2025. Coming in second was a similar ceremony in Morelia, Michoacán, which was just pipped to the post by the previous entry. At this event, the bride was 96 and the groom 19, representing a 77-year age difference.
Other notable age-gap weddings
In third was a wedding in Xicoténcatl, Tamaulipas, this time reversed, with the groom 90 and the bride 18, a 72-year age gap. EMAT is compiled using records sent in by civil registry offices.
It comes after a 61-year-old woman in a relationship with a 35-year-old man revealed the surprising secret behind their union. Sundari, a mother of two sons, aged 29 and 33, met Maxi at a cacao ceremony.
Attitudes toward age gaps
Sundari and Maxi, both from Argentina, live separately and only see one another at weekends, but it seems they enjoy this distance. She said: "Plans might come up during the week, but we mostly see each other at the weekends.
"I like it this way. I like having my own time. I was married and lived with my partner for 20 years. I've never lived with anyone since, and I love having a boyfriend."
She added: "On Saturdays, Maxi comes round and stays with us until Monday. During the week, we send each other lots of little love messages in the morning and before bed. We're very respectful of each other's time. It's lovely to see each other again at the weekend."
In July, a poll of 2,000 adults found that 71 per cent don't mind a significant age gap in a relationship, provided both are at a similar level of maturity and seek similar things in life. Even a large age gap of 10 to 20 years was acceptable to more than half the participants.
It was further revealed that one in five would prefer to date someone older: 32 per cent of women and 8 per cent of men. Men were more likely to want a younger partner (33 per cent) than someone of the same age.
Lee Mason, vice president of Scripted, Disney+ EMEA, said: "Our research highlights just how complex relationships are, and how easy it is to rely on assumptions until we're faced with real situations."
"While people may have concerns about age-gap relationships or pass judgement, it's fascinating to see how many would consider being in one and how people are ultimately focused on shared values, life goals and emotional compatibility."
