American Marconi Wireless News - 1,200 couples get hitched in Mexican mass wedding

Couples of varying generations said "I do" in the town square, some to save money and others to finally make official long-standing relationships.

"Weddings are expensive," newlywed Rosalin Ruiz, 28, told AFP.

Dressed in white, she sealed her union with partner Ricardo Reyes, 30, in a "more accessible" way, via this year's "matrimonio colectivo," or collective marriage.

Yosimar Carrasco and Alejandra Godinez, both 37, were motivated by the desire to have a "different experience," while for Pilar Hernandez and Susana Inocente, both 40, it was the opportunity for the LGBTQ couple to vindicate "equal rights."

A round of applause erupted in the square when Sonia Cruz, director of the state civil registry, declared the couples joined in "lawful matrimony" and invited them to kiss.

This year's ceremony, sponsored by the local mayor's office, also awarded Nezahualcoyotl's three longest-married couples, including one in a union of 50 years, who received televisions and armchairs.

A similar Valentine's Day mass wedding in Nicaragua saw 200 couples get hitched on the shores of Managua's Lake Xolotlan.

S.Gregor--AMWN