But 60 years of marriage have a way of bringing you around.
Bill (84) and Eleanor (81) Jackson reminisced yesterday about their courtship, which started at a dance in their hometown of Belfast, Northern Ireland.
''She was quite a nice-looking wee woman and, really, I quite liked the look of her,'' Mr Jackson recalled.
''We were both quite good dancers and one day at a dance I told her she had fat arms and she whacked me and I thought 'I like the spirit in her'.''
Mr Jackson migrated to New Zealand in 1952 and his future wife followed a year later.
''I actually liked his mate better, but he pursued me and that was that. But I'd be lost without him,'' Mrs Jackson (nee Shields) said.
''Coming to New Zealand was a great move. We've never regretted it. We really love it here.''
And she was adamant about what had made their marriage a success.
''Me being so patient,'' she said, with a smile.
They couple were married at St John's Church in Roslyn on August 15, 1953.
Tonight, they will be joined by their son Gavin, of Dunedin, and two daughters, Angela and Wendy, of Auckland, for a celebratory dinner in Dunedin.
