Everyone has a different idea of what it means to practice self-love, but perhaps the most extreme, though also most meaningful, belongs to Dorothy. Just few months ago, the 77-year-old decided it was finally time to marry the love of her life. It just so happens the person she married was herself. “Because this is something I’ve always wanted. I wanted to get married and have a happy life but things didn’t work out that way and now I have a second chance in doing something that’ll make me happy,” she told WLWT.

She was previously married in 1965 after a courthouse ceremony, but after nine years she was divorced. Marriage was always on her mind, but it wasn’t until neighbors at the retirement community where she lives saw a woman on a talk show marry herself. They told her about the idea, and she was on board. Initially she thought it would bring smiles to her fellow residents, but once she got thinking the idea became more about her happiness and less about others. “I said, you know what, I’ve done everything else. Why not? I’m going to marry myself,” Dorothy told TODAY.com. 

With the help of Rob, the property manager of her retirement home, and one of her three children, Dorothy was able to have the perfect solo wedding. “I was nervous, but then I was really happy,” she said of her feelings on her big day. No details were skipped. She wore a white wedding dress, complete with a veil and a beautiful bouquet of flowers to match. Her guests were treated to cake, cookies, and finger sandwiches.

During the ceremony Dorothy spoke about the importance of self-love and drew comparisons to the white lily. “I said, ‘Everybody takes this outside lily. And they live their life and they think they’re happy and everything’s going to be hunky-dory, but they don’t consider the inside, the little petals inside.’” “‘The inside is what’s important. That’s where God’s love flows,’” she added. “‘That’s where He gives you wisdom and He gives you hope. And nobody ever takes time to think about that. So that’s what I’ve done, and I’d appreciate it if all of you people would do it and think of it that way.’”