Thailand plans to host some odd Valentine's Day weddings today, with two pairs of elephants about to tie the knot and 36 human couples preparing to say their vows under the ocean.
To mark the international day of love, the elephants will take part in a "traditional" Thai marriage, complete with dowry and sumptuous wedding outfits.
Plai Buabarn, a 24 year-old tusker, will take a break from entertaining tourists at the seaside resort of Pattaya, to take as his bride Phung Oychai, also aged 24, said organizer Kukrit Khaolamai.
Phung Nam Phung, a 24 year-old also known as Honey, is opting for a younger mate, 15-yearold Phai Nga-thong.
Mr Khaolamai said the objective of the marriage, to be held at the ancient city of Ayutthaya, is to demonstrate the affection Thais have for elephants and to highlight their important role in the nation's tourism industry.
"We expect a huge turnout," he said. The ceremony will start at dawn when the elephant couples will bathe before dressing up in the lavish 20,000 baht ($500) costumes specially designed for pachyderm brides and bridegrooms.
Mimicking the traditional rites of a Thai marriage, the elephant grooms will each have to turn over food, sweets, and 9,999 baht ($235) as dowry to the brides' owners. Over their lifetimes, the couples could produce as many as 10 baby elephants to boost the dwindling stocks of domesticated Asian elephants.
Meanwhile, in the waters off southern Thailand, 36 Thai and foreign couples will wed in an underwater event organisers hope will break last year's record-setting marriage.
Last year, the 30 couples who donned wetsuits, goggles and fins for the nuptial proceedings made their way into the Guinness Book of World Records. This year, the adventurous pairs will be married near Koh Kradan, with vows exchanged on a bed of sand at a depth of 30 metres.
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