Golden Autumn Group Classic Weddings Held Yesterday

Riding horses, taking traditional bridal sedans and doing wedding bows, these are what the six pairs of lovers did when they came to Jinbao Amusement Park on September 27 to attend the 2008 Golden Autumn Weifang Group Classic Wedding Ceremony.

 At 9:30AM, the groom who was dressed in traditional Zhuangyuan (number one scholar in ancient China) costume and rode a horse and the bride who was dressed in phoenix-shaped hat and clouds-embroidered dress with red veil stepped on the red carpet and were led into the Square of Pleasant Sailing of Jinbao Amusement Park by the MC, music band, honor guards in rapturous drum and gong music. After going through the procedures of striding over the flower cake, fire pan, saddle and the doorsill, the groom and bride entered the Love Garden of the park.(as per photo, by Zhang Chi and Cao Lianghua). Then they walked into the bridal chamber for souvenir pictures after doing wedding bows to the heaven and earth, bows to parents and bows to each other. At 11:08AM, the solemn group wedding ceremony was held when six pairs of grooms and brides in classic costume stepped on the stage and then the grooms unveiled their beautiful smiling brides with weighbeams at the order of the MC, invoking heavy applauses from the audience. Shortly after, the leaders from Weifang Evening Paper, the Municipal Youth League and Women's Federation witnessed the marriage, delivered addresses and issued group wedding souvenir certificates. Mr. Guo Runsheng, a representative of the golden-wedding couples extended his best wishes to the newlyweds for a happy life. Several companies such as Hong Kong Routing Group, Ziyuan Dairy Industry and Pepsi Cola also gave the newlyweds their "gift bags''.

 At 11:30, the newlyweds attended the 50-person "No.1 wedding banquet" with their parents, relatives and friends. After the banquet, the newlyweds freed red carps into the Free Life Pond, rang the Centennial Bell and seek blessings before the statue of Buddha in Jinquan Temple. In the orchard of Jinbao Amusement Park, the newlyweds planted love trees and left their permanent souvenirs. At 2PM, the newlyweds got on the floats and made a parade around Weifang City proper.

 It is learned that this group wedding ceremony is much bigger and more lively than any of the previous ones and has won unanimous satisfaction of the newly weds. "This will be the most beautiful and precious moment in our married life,'' said the bride Chen Wenping in excitement, "and we will keep it in our memories forever."