Sharon and Wayne Scott pledged to stay together for better or worse — and they’ve honoured that for 45 years.

The couple lived next door to each other as children but didn’t meet until mutual friends invited them to go Christmas carolling.

“I was around 16 years old and the minute I saw him I knew I liked him,” said Mrs Scott. “He looked quiet and shy, but was very cute.

“We ended up sitting next to each other in the car on the way to go carolling and I was so nervous being close to him. A good friend of ours was trying to set us up. She said, ‘You two would make a nice couple’. She arranged it so that we’d be sitting next to each other.”

They married November 12, 1970 and had two sons, Shanye, 41, and Shannon, 32.

The union wasn’t always easy.

Mr Scott sold life insurance and Mrs Scott was an office administrator but it wasn’t enough to pay the bills in the early days of their marriage.

“We thought we’d be able to put a down payment on a house much earlier in our marriage, but it didn’t work out that way for us,” said Mr Scott.

“It took us eleven years before we could get a home. Our first son had already been born and our second son came a couple years after we moved in.”

It was stressful trying to make ends meet and there was little wiggle room for luxuries, but the experience taught them a lot, Mrs Scott said.

“We had to learn the importance of having a budget and sticking to it,” she said. “We also had to share our spending habits with one another and couldn’t keep any secrets.

“In the early stages we’d buy things that we wanted but didn’t need; fashionable items and clothing. Then we had to slow down and really look at our budget and stick to it as much as possible.

“It takes time because you might be making your money and he’s making his, but you have to work together. You have to be honest about increases and bonuses and have a joint savings account so both parties know what’s happening.”

They paid off their mortgage in 2008.

Mr Scott believes a successful marriage boils down to “friendship, forgiveness and forbearance”.

Mrs Scott thinks theirs has lasted because they’ve worked at communication, had a steady faith in God and kept the romance alive.

“He’s always looking out for me,” she said. “If ever I want to go somewhere and he doesn’t necessarily want to go, he will make the sacrifice just to be with me. He’s very easy like that and always wants to be close to me.” She particularly appreciates the little things: foot massages, breakfast in bed when she’s ill and regular compliments on her cooking.

Ironically, she didn’t know her way around the kitchen at all when they were first married.

“I learnt everything out of necessity,” she said. “There were lots of foods I liked that I couldn’t make at first, like peas and rice and pastas. Every time I tried, it didn’t turn out right. I’d add too much water or not enough and didn’t know how much to cook for just the two of us. So it was through trial and error that I started to learn.”

She got the hang of it three years in.

“She’s not only a great cook, but an excellent homemaker,” said Mr Scott. “I feel incredibly fortunate to get all that.

“She makes our home worthy of Better Homes and Gardens magazine. She pays attention to everything from the colour scheme on the walls, to the arrangement of furniture.

“It’s our own sanctuary and haven. I still look forward to finishing work so I can go home to her. I enjoy being at home with our family.”