Moscow hosts first pan-Russian wedding festival (VIDEO)

Hundreds of couples from all over Russia have flocked to the capital for the first nationwide wedding festival being held at RUSSIA EXPO, an international event taking place at the All-Russian Exhibition Center (VDNKh) in Moscow.

According to organizers of the event, which kicked off on May 12, some 440 brides and grooms-to-be are expected to tie the knot during the week-long festivities. The couples hail from all over the country and will be presenting wedding traditions from their native regions at the venue, including various pre-wedding customs such as bachelor and hen parties.

The first day of the festival saw a mass wedding ceremony which united in matrimony 151 couples, with each subsequent day culminating in more nuptials. On Wednesday, the festival also hosted a wedding ball, as well as a fashion show at which Moscow designers displayed various wedding outfits.

Throughout the week, festival guests will also be treated to open-air newlywed processions, theatrical and musical performances, and various wedding-themed exhibitions. Chefs from several Russian regions will be hosting workshops on preparing traditional wedding dishes.

Newlyweds taking vows at the festival will receive part of the flame symbolizing the All-Russia Family Hearth, which has been lit at the exhibition to honor the start of the Year of the Family in the country.

The festival will run through May 19.