Elope at the eclipse: Watch over 100 couples tie the knot in mass eclipse wedding
An Ohio town took celebrating the total solar eclipse to a level above barbecues and tailgates on Tuesday, instead hosting one huge eclipse party that cumulated in over 100 marriages and vow renewals.
The mass elopement in Tiffin saw some 130 couples tie the knot or renew vows in the 3 minutes and 54 seconds the moon covered the sun.
Officials hosted the free event, dubbed Elope at the Eclipse, at the East Green Amphitheater with hopes of attracting roughly 25 couples. Instead, 150 registered.
A Seneca County judge attended to officiate the wedding and officials supplied a live singer, goodie bags, a reception hall for dancing, beverages for the first toast, a photographer and personalized wedding cakes to registered participants. Couples needed only show up with the proper paperwork and their desired guests.
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And show up they did, armed with lawn chairs and adorned in attire ranging from T-shirts and Converse sneakers to full white dress wedding garb. People traveled to the big fat wedding event from states as far as Texas and countries as far as Amsterdam.
All went off without a hitch and, for the more than 100 couples who participated, cumulated in a day they'll remember for the rest of their lives.
“They thought of everything,” one couple told the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY network. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime for us,” another told the paper, “pushing out positive energy like this? We all get it.”