A bride and groom stand during a mass wedding ceremony of more than 100 couples in Virar, on the outskirts of Mumbai, India on January 29.

AP Photo

Emirati bridegrooms and well-wishers gather at a mass wedding of 68 couples in Al Dhaid, Sharjah, on January 13. The men and the women traditionally hold lavish, separate celebratons in UAE weddings, although it is not uncommon for ther families to socialise together beforehand.

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Brides celebrate at the Triumph Arch in Bucharest, Romania on July 31, 2011. Brides gather at the arc after midnight on the wedding night following the stealing of the bride ritual and "ransom" payments.

AP Photo

Brides-to-be await a mass wedding ceremony in Karachi on January 29. Fifty rural couples exchanged their vows at the event, which was funded by non-governmental organisations.

Reuters

A couple wear traditional clothing at their Shinto wedding at Hagi, Honshu Island on December 1, 1980. At Shinto nuptials, the couple are purified and drink sake, and the groom reads the words of commitment.

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A wedding feast on Mindanao Island on August 8, 2011, includes rice, rat and fish on banana leaf plates. Typically at the reception, two doves are released to symbolise harmony and peace.

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A kandyan dancer attends a wedding party in Colombo on July 14, 2008. Legend has it that kandyan dance originated 2,500 years ago in a magic ritual that broke the spell on a bewitched king.

AFP Photo

A Muslim cleric reads from the Quran to bind bride and groom in marriage.

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