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You may now kiss the bride - Couples seal the deal at a wedding ceremony in Chongqing municipality, China, but while it may seem strange to do so among several others, this tradition started a long time ago.

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This group wedding happened in 1864 - A group of Oxford professors held a collective wedding, in a real marriage of true minds.

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Circa 1975 - Here a woman supervises a mass wedding of 20 couples in a Tokyo hotel.

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All around the world - Pictured is a mass wedding ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal, in 1965. The newspapers actually organized the ceremony so that poorer couples could be married on St Anthony Day.

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Lisbon, 43 years later - Couples in Lisbon all share a romantic kiss after being married under the patronage of St Anthony Day in 2008.

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The scope is much larger in some places - Mass weddings come in all shapes and sizes, and though they seem like a fading tradition, they're actually alive and well!

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China - Newlyweds dressed in vibrant red Han-dynasty apparel bow to each other during a traditional group wedding ceremony in Xi'an, Shaanxi province.

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Turkey - Each couple sits at their own table as they wait to be wed in Ankara, 2006. 

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India - Newly married Hindu couples hold brooms, pledging to keep their houses clean, after taking their wedding wows during a mass ceremony in Ahmedabad, 2014.

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Philippines - Members of the Philippine National Police all got married at the same time inside the police headquarters in Manila, 2008.

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Mexico - Newlyweds peek in on another couple's celebratory smooch on Valentine's Day 2015, in Ciudad Juarez.

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South Korea - At the famed Unification Church, founded by Sun Myung Moon in 1954, more than 3,500 couples gather at the Cheongshim Peace World Center in 2015 to take part in one of the church's largest mass weddings ever.

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South Korea - Its 2017 equivalent saw, again, thousands of couples—but this time with some more ambient lighting. Some 4,000 'Moonies,' or followers of the Unification Church, continue the mass wedding tradition.

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A sleepy couple - Waiting for thousands of people to take their seats and get organized so that the ceremony can start is undoubtedly a little tiring.

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Mass weddings means mass makeup - Brides get their hair and makeup done as they prepare for their mass wedding ceremony in 2016.

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Brides helping brides - Brides of the Unification Church adjust one another's veils and make sure everything is in place on the day that will be special to them all. 

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Useful chartered transport - With so many couples from over 200 countries arriving to be wed in South Korea, the Unification Church has prepared the means to shuttle thousands of people to the stadium.

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A groom who couldn't make it to his special day - Did you know that you can get married at the Unification Church without your partner being present? A bride sits next to a picture of her bridegroom, who unfortunately couldn't make it to the ceremony in 2012. 

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Several lonely brides - In 1995, there were even more lonely brides holding pictures of their newlywed spouses, who apparently had more important things to attend to.

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A rare sight to behold - Sun Myung Moon died in 2012, but over 3,500 couples were wed in the first mass ceremony following his death, keeping his legacy alive. But mass weddings are popular around the world!

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India - Hindu brides, each with a specific number, are swathed in red and gold in Noida, 2009.

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USA - More than 75 couples say their vows atop Loveland Ski Area in Colorado at the 20th Annual Marry Me & Ski Free Mountaintop Matrimony on Valentine's Day. The ceremony is held at an elevation of 12,050 ft (3673 m)!

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USA - This newly married couple rides the chair lift back up the hill to shred the slopes in celebration. The couples are later invited to a casual reception complete with a champagne toast, wedding cake, and music.

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Iraq - Newlyweds sit at a mass wedding ceremony organized by the local government in 2008.

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China - Brides and grooms from Air China, including pilots, flight attendants, and other staff, attend a mass wedding in Beijing, 2008, and share a smooch in front of a large image of an airplane. 

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Brazil - A group of brides pose for photos before the ceremony at the Museum of the Republic in Brasília, 2013.

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USA - Couples exchange their vows at the same time at a mass wedding for 25 LGBT partners at Seattle First Baptist Church in 2012.

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USA - It was the first time that same-sex couples could legally wed in Washington state.

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China - Brides are carried in ornate sedan chairs during a group wedding ceremony to celebrate the Qixi festival in Yuncheng, Shanxi province, 2009.

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Palestine - Palestinian grooms walk with their brides, all clothed the same, across the stage during a wedding for 200 couples in Gaza City, 2015.

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Taiwan - It's okay for brides and grooms to see each other beforehand at this mass wedding at the Taipei Flora Expo Hall in 2010.

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Kyrgyzstan - A line of grinning newlyweds departing after a mass wedding ceremony in Bishkek, 2011.

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China - Newlywed grooms lead camels carrying their brides in a desert in Xinjiang, 2014.

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Brazil - At a mass wedding ceremony in 2011 celebrating the festival of the Greater Saint John of the Cerrado in Brasília, a bride sweetly kisses the hand of her new husband.

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Lebanon - A Palestinian bride grips her groom's hand at a group wedding ceremony in Sidon, 2010.

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Belarus - Happy couples all start a new chapter together in Minsk, 2006.

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Jordan - Veiled brides speak to their grooms at a mass wedding in Amman, 2012.  

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Jordan - The scene looks unchanged from 2004, at a mass ceremony for about 150 Muslim couples which was staged by an Al-Afaf Islamic charitable committee.

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Brazil - In the remote village of Mapuera, Amazonian grooms arrive after spending a week in the jungle hunting for meat to offer up during their mass wedding. The brides and grooms celebrate in a ceremony, 2009.

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USA - More than 100 LGBT couples in West Hollywood, California, participate in a mass gay wedding in 2004 to kick off National Gay Pride Month.

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Taiwan - Members of the Taipei air force get married together in 2010.

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Vietnam - Gorgeously adorned Vietnamese newlyweds walk towards a statue of their nation's communist founder, Ho Chi Minh, in his namesake city.

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USA - A dozen newlyweds got married in Las Vegas as part of a radio station contest on December 12, 2012 in hopes that the triple date 12/12/12 would bring added luck to their marriages.

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Pakistan - A pack of grooms wait impatiently to be married during a mass ceremony for the impoverished in Karachi, 2009.

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Philippines - Filipino LGBT couples exchange 'Rite of Holy Union' vows during a mass wedding in a basketball court in Manila, 2015, officiated by a small Christian non-denominational group.

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Philippines - Same-sex marriage unions are not officially recognized under Philippine laws, and they're staunchly rejected by the Catholic church.

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USA - Mass weddings tend to occur on a special day, and Valentine's Day is a popular choice. Approximately 40 simultaneously wed at the National Croquet Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, in 2017.

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USA - Another couple exchanges rings during a mass Valentine's Day wedding in 2002, in San Antonio, Texas. The event has been taking place here annually since 1989.

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A mass cause for celebration -

No matter how you get married, the bond sealed between people always induces the same cause for celebration. Plus, can you imagine the kinds of parties going on that night?

See also: 40 extravagant ideas for your wedding venue

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