Mass Wedding in Maluku Islands

We have read about weddings in Timor amidst the violence there and even about a wedding taking place after the earthquake struck in Central Java recently. But, this is the ultimate in weddings.

In the Maluku Islands in the West Halmahera Regency there will be a mass wedding of low-income couples. Not only is this mass wedding by a group of happy campers they are also vying for a national record with 3,500 low-income couples set to marry in an all-expenses-paid mass wedding ceremony soon. It is hoped that all the couples will show up for the ceremony.

If the feat of the mass wedding goes ahead then it will beat the old record set by the province of Central Kalimantan which recently hosted nuptials for 2,146 couples. This grand affair will then be registered with the Indonesian Records Museum, the local version of the Guinness World Records.

A local was quoted as saying "The weddings aim to show the local government’s commitment to helping the poor, who would otherwise not be able to afford the cost"

If you are contemplating tying the knot in Bali then check out Nick's article on the subject.