St. Mary's Parish hosts largest Catholic wedding in Vancouver

The Vancouver archdiocese hosted what it says is its largest mass wedding on Saturday.

Fifteenbrides andgrooms, ranging in age from 20s to 60s,got married atSt. Mary's Parish.

Event organizer TimDeewoldsays the idea for a mass wedding started with one person in the parish andthen "itjust kind of snowballed."

"It's a practical thing, and that is of course it's a lot cheaper when you have a volume discount," he said, laughing.

Most of the couples are already married, he said, but had civil ceremonies. Saturday's wedding was performed in the eyes of the church.

The ceremony lasted about90 minutes an hour for scripture, then the exchange of vows for each individual couple.

Deewold saysthe 15 coupleswill not be having a mass reception.

With files from Deborah Goble