Couples in Thailand tie the knot on elephants on Valentine's Day

elephant-back wedding is an annual event at the Nong Nooch Tropical Garden

Published: February 14, 2021 15:56 Reuters

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Bangkok: Fifty-two couples in Thailand got married while riding elephants on Sunday, in an annual Valentine's Day mass wedding ceremony at a botanical garden in a province east of Bangkok. Image Credit: Reuters

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Dancers and a band led the procession of elephants and couples and a local official, also on an elephant, oversaw the signing of the marriage licence. Image Credit: Reuters

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"For me, I've been planning for a long time that if I were to sign a marriage licence one day, it must be an extraordinary event," said groom Patiphat Panthanon, 26, sitting beside his 23-year-old bride. Image Credit: Reuters

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The elephant-back wedding is an annual event at the Nong Nooch Tropical Garden in Chonburi province which usually attracts up to a hundred couples. But this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the numbers were down. Image Credit: Reuters

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Kampon Tansacha, managing director of the Nong Nooch Tropical Garden, said that due to strict screening protocols for visitors, people were feeling safer and have started to come back to visit the botanical park, which showcases recreations of landscaped gardens from around the world. Image Credit: Reuters

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A couple receives marriage certificates from a provincial officer. Image Credit: Reuters

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Thailand's tourism-reliant country has yet to lift a travel ban imposed last April to curb the outbreak, keeping most foreign investors away. Image Credit: Reuters

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Couples pose with marriage certificates. Image Credit: Reuters

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A couple poses with their marriage certificate. Image Credit: Reuters

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An elephant decorated with flowers in a heart shape. Image Credit: Reuters

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