Thousands Say I Do In A Korean Mass Wedding

A total of 3,800 couples from over 50 countries assembled at the Cheongshim World Peace Centre in Gapyeong, 60km northeast of Seoul.

According to Sky News, the brides and grooms were mostly young people dressed in white wedding gowns and dark suits respectively.

The ceremony was conducted by Unification Church leader, Hak Ja Han, widow of the controversial church founder Sun Myung Moon.

Close to 800 of the couples had been "matched" at an engagement ceremony only a few days earlier while the rest were already married but renewed their vows before the church.

One couple had come over from Canada to take part.

"It's exciting. It's overwhelming. It's a really happy day," said bride Nadia Famularo, as she posed for pictures with her parents.

"It's kind of a big a relief also."

Her new husband Christian Vlcek was quoted by Sky News as saying: "It's the culmination of a lot of preparation and a lot of thought coming together."

The church was founded by the evangelist Moon in Seoul in 1954.

It held its first mass wedding in 1961 with 33 couples present on that occasion.

Source: Sky News