Was it a 44-ring ceremony?

Santa Ana, Calif. -- An unusual marriage ceremony took place this weekend in Santa Ana, Calif., as 22 brides and grooms exchanged their wedding vows at the same time.

The Orange County (Calif.) Register said Sunday that after nearly a year of planning, Santa Ana's St. Joseph Church married seven new couples and remarried 15 other couples in one large ceremony this weekend.

Along with the 22 brides and their 22 grooms, more than 600 other people were on hand Saturday to watch the unusual event.

While such mass weddings are rare in the United States, they are quite common throughout Mexico.

Delia Romero, who organized the event with her husband, said they are already busy planning another one for next year.

"It was a big day for us," Romero said. "But we have a lot of work ahead."
As for the newlyweds, the event was simply a day to remember.

"I'm feeling very happy," a newly married Eduardo Garcia told the Register. "We were waiting a long time for this."

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Copyright 2007 by United Press International.