550 couples exchanged their marriage vows in a mass wedding ceremony in Nicaragua – News

Mass weddings have become a tradition in the Nicaraguan capital of Managua since their introduction a decade ago.

At the ceremony in Plaza Maya, sponsored by the government and a radio station and televised, the brides wore white dresses and the grooms wore suits.

Bride Lilieth Obando said Thursday that the mass ceremony was a great help for couples like her and groom Leoncio Martinez, who had lived together for two years but did not have the money for a private wedding.

A smaller group wedding for Valentine's Day took place on Thursday in Peru, where 24 couples married simultaneously on a beach north of Lima.

The Peruvian couples, dressed all in white and with flowers around their necks, then took a boat ride along the coast. Local mayor John Barrera re-read the couples' vows while they were on the water, and the newlyweds answered in unison, “I do!”

Three of the couples celebrated by jumping into the water.