The voices of 19 Chinese brides and grooms echo “I Do” on Seychelles

Nineteen Chinese couples have said their “I do” in a collective wedding ceremony at the Seychelles Le Meridien Babarons Hotel in the presence of the island’s first President, Sir James Mancham; Ala

Nineteen Chinese couples have said their “I do” in a collective wedding ceremony at the Seychelles Le Meridien Babarons Hotel in the presence of the island’s first President, Sir James Mancham; Alain St.Ange, the Seychelles Minister responsible for Tourism & Culture; Minister Rolph Payet, the Seychelles Minister responsible for Environment and Energy; Ambassador Barry Faure, the Secretary of State in the President’s Office; Ambassador Maurice Loustau-Lalanne, the Principle Secretary for Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Ambassador in Seychelles and the Seychelles Ambassador in China.

In an extremely elaborated wedding – a combination of traditional island ceremony and Chinese wedding – 38 brides and grooms have “tied the knot” on the open golden sandy beaches of Seychelles. The soft soothing music blended with natural sound of the waves created a wedding arena unique to the tropical island.

Addressing the newlyweds, the Seychelles Minister for Tourism and Culture, Alain St.Ange, described the Chinese wedding as a historic day for Seychelles, saying that “it will be a day to be remembered when 19 couples from China decided to choose Seychelles to become man and wife.

“Many destinations would have welcomed such newlyweds on their shores to see them start their married life together, but you, the 19 young couples decided it was to be Seychelles.”

Minister St. Ange said that it is “important to bring out at this event that this year, the year 2012, marks 150 years since the first settlers from China made Seychelles their home.”

“You, the young Chinese couples, are today marking this historic date of our history. You are reminding the world of this important tie we have with China. You are reminding us that we are truly the melting pot of cultures, with roots coming from France, Africa, Britain, China, and India. Yes, you could have been tempted to be the fairytale princes and princesses as did, but a year ago, England’s Prince William and his new bride Kate Middleton, who like you chose Seychelles for their honeymoon.”

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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