A Brazilian pensioner has defied doctors to become the oldest person to get engaged at the age of 106.

Valdemira Rodrigues de Oliveira said yes to her 66-year-old toyboy Aparecido Dias Jacob at a ceremony despite being given advice by physicians not to go ahead with it.

The smitten seniors with the combined age of 172 years have separate rooms at Nossa Senhora Fatima retirement home in Pirassununga, south east Brazil, and were determined to prove it's never too late to be with your soulmate after three years together.

Valdemira Rodrigues de Oliveira gets her make-up done ahead of the big ceremony in Brazil

The elderly romantics could hardly wait to seal their engagement with a passionate kiss

The bride-to-be, Valda, walks down the aisle at the ceremony with her decorated Zimmer

Valda on her engagement day having said yes to Aparecido Dias Jacob's proposal

Medics assessed their health and age and warned the duo, known affectionately as Valda and Jaco, would not be able to cope with living on their own.

But the elderly sweethearts exchanged engagement rings in a betrothal service organised by volunteers under an initiative called the Project of Dreams.

Volunteer Fabiane Zaffalon, said: 'As they couldn't get married we came up with another way to make their dreams come true by holding an engagement ceremony at the retirement home.'

In Brazil, an engagement ring is placed on the third finger of the right hand and when the person gets married the same band is swapped to the ring finger on the left hand.

Speaking about her love for her future husband, the centenarian said: 'I fell in love with him.

'I like him a lot. If he dies, I die too.'

The two lovebirds were among 40 residents at the elderly care home who were asked by the Project's organisers what they would like to do 'most in their life to make them happy'.

The newly engaged couple are showered with rose petals at the ceremony

Aparecido Dias Jacob,66, is forty years younger than his fiancee and walks down the aisle

Valda gets the final touches before she meets her husband-to-be at the ceremony

Fabiane Zaffalon, a volunteer at the home, said: 'We came up with the idea last November to use the Project of Dreams to find out from our elderly residents what they wanted to fulfil in their lives.

'We asked Valda and Jaco separately what their dreams were. They both said to get married and to have a little house where they could live together.'

But doctors warned organisers the couple's age and health problems would make it difficult for them to do this.

Fabiane added: 'So we decided to make Valda and Jaco's wishes come true by arranging a spectacular engagement party where they could pledge their love for each other.'

The lovestruck pair met at the residential home in 2014 and it was love at first sight for Jaco, who suffers from paralysis of the left arm.

He has been living in the home for 19 years after being homeless and unemployed.

Jaco said: 'I fell in love with Valda from the moment I saw her. I know she's a little older than me, but that doesn't matter because she makes me really happy.

'I asked her to marry me and we always believed it would happen but getting engaged is a step forward for us right now.'

The couple are inseparable and spend all day with each other, chatting, eating their meals together and sitting side by side in the home.

'I know it's not going to happen but I would have loved to be able to wash Jaco's clothes, cook his meals and look after him like a wife,' said Valda.

The lavish ceremony was to commemorate the engagement and neither had married before

It's the first time either of them have been married.

Neither have children and most of Valda's relatives have died while Jaco has lost touch with his family.

A volunteer page boy and bridesmaid, Renan and Isabella, both 12-years-old accompanied Valda.

A live band played the wedding march as Jaco, dressed in a bespoke suit and tie, waited at the front with the master of ceremonies for his future fiancée.

At the altar, the couple couldn't hold back from sealing the occasion with a passionate kiss before taking their vows in front of the 150 invited guests.

After a short message and prayer, the happy couple said 'yes' to stay loyal to each other and exchanged engagement rings.

The event was lavishly decorated with a four-tier cake, flowers, cupid ornaments and scattered rose petals.

Valda wore a white dress with a fancy in her hair, pearls around her neck, nails painted and comfortable slippers.

She walked down the aisle with her Zimmer-frame decorated with roses.