The brides - all 2000 of them - wore white. The grooms looked sharp in their wedding suits and bow ties. One thousand couples tied the knot, and another 3000 renewed vows at a mass ceremony in Gapyeong, South Korea. The wedding was conducted by the Unification Church founded by the late Reverend Sun Myung Moon.
![Couples from around the world attend a mass wedding ceremony at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong. Photo / AP](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/OJ7FNVW3AYJCLJZBWWVVPBAQZM.jpg?auth=5dcaf18271aa0b0c151de16d7855c7d42cfbb6d7d591586b3da4601afa0caa85&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)
His widow, Han Hak-ja, blessed couples with holy water, as thousands in the audience at the Cheongshim Peace World Centre applauded.
![Couples from around the world exchange their rings in a mass wedding ceremony at the Cheong Shim Peace World Center in Gapyeong. Photo / AP](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/A7LFVXMR5GF63LQSJDJ7DZB57Q.jpg?auth=42d97b584c119b10cceb0a4ea1b77a218552342105791401427d02b510b91bc6&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)
The church, which for years has been derided by critics as a dangerous cult which indoctrinates followers - the so-called Moonies - has held large scale weddings for decades, with self-declared messiah Moon playing matchmaker and pairing couples who had never met and sometimes did not even speak the same language.