Nearly 2,000
Brazilian couples have got married at an indoors sports venue in Rio de
Janeiro, in the biggest mass wedding in the city’s history.
The annual event, promoted by the local authorities, is aimed helping low-income couples who cannot afford to pay for a wedding.The authorities in Rio booked special commuter trains for the couples and their guests.
An estimated 12,000 people attended the ceremony at the Maracanazinho arena.
Couples with a monthly family income of up to $1,000 (£640) were allowed to take part.
Volunteer civil judges presided over the ceremony.
Couples were also blessed by a Roman Catholic bishop and a Christian evangelical pastor.
The event has been named “Dia do Sim”, or “I Do Day”.
Many of the couples had been living together for many years.
“We got up at 06:00. There are so many people and I think we will be here for a while, but I’m very happy,” Emerson Moraes, 34, told O Globo newspaper.
Mr Moraes has been with Ana Rosangela Azevedo, 31, since 2010 and earlier this year they decided to formalise their relationship.
Some brides had waited for many years to finally tie the knot
Many of the couples took their children to the ceremony
The couples were blessed by a Catholic bishop and a Christian evangelical pastor
The Maracanazinho arena – next to the Maracana stadium – will host key events at the 2016 Olympics
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