Mass wedding in Tel Aviv: people get married despite the war

The mass wedding on Monday for couples from Israel's north, who had to cancel their weddings as more than 4,000 Hezbollah rockets hit their region in the past month, was planned during the war but happened on the first day of the cease-fire.

Photo: Mass wedding in Tel Aviv: people get married despite the war

Brides danced with fathers, grooms danced with mothers. Women in body paint and dressed as flowers danced on pedestals as part of the entertainment. And it was all free, with Israeli companies pouring in some $2.5 million, organizers said, to sponsor the ceremony at a massive nightclub in Tel Aviv's old port.

Before the night was over, 50 grooms had stomped on and broken a glass, in accordance with Jewish marriage rituals. The moment was followed by a little crying, a lot of relieved sighs and more "mazeltov"s than anyone could count.

Metzger said Hezbollah wanted to destroy Jewish homes, but these couples were building them instead, the AP reports.

Each couple was allowed 100 guests, and with the wedding-crashers, press and other interlopers there were at least 6,000 people present, organizers said. The 50 couples were chosen from more than 300 applied after the war interrupted the busy summer wedding season.