ANKARA — Turkey’s Sultan Kosen, at 2.51 meters (eight foot three) the world’s tallest man, has wed a Syrian woman he called the “love of my life”, though he towers over his 1.75-meter bride.

“I cannot describe my feelings in words,” the 31-year-old groom said during the wedding celebration in his hometown in the southeastern province of Mardin on Sunday.

“I am the happiest man in the world,” he was quoted as saying on the website of the state-run Anatolia news agency.

His 20-year-old bride Mervi Dibo, who hails from the Syrian town of Hasaka, added: “I hope this happiness will be long-lasting.”

The groom’s black suit was custom made, requiring six meters of fabric, Anatolia reported.

Born into a farming family in southeastern Turkey, Kosen won global fame in September 2009 when Guinness World Records declared him the tallest man in the world. He was then 2.47 meters tall.

His growth has resulted from a tumor affecting his pituitary gland.

US doctors treated Kosen’s tumor in August 2010 in the state of Virgina with a precisely targeted shot of extremely high frequency gamma rays, using a non-invasive radiosurgical device known as a Gamma Knife.

Last year, doctors said Kosen has overcome acromegaly, a rare hormonal disorder that caused him to keep growing well into adulthood.

Kosen is forced to use crutches in order to walk.