A British couple takes part in a group wedding during the World Fly-in Expo at the Hannan General Aviation Airport in Wuhan on Nov 6. [Photo by Li Chenxi/chinadaily.com.cn]
A hundred couples tied the knot in hot air balloons at the World Fly-in Expo on the morning of Nov 6 in Wuhan.
This event is expected to set a world record for the size of a group wedding in hot air balloons, according to the Shanghai China Records headquarters.
A British couple, Ian Hodgkinson and Sian Stokes, who are both skydivers, became the 100th couple registered for the event. They said they were very lucky to have the opportunity to get married at the expo.
They said that they are in Wuhan to perform as skydivers. They just celebrated their 5th anniversary of love yesterday, and got married in a special way today, which was an exciting change to their original plans.
They said they would soon surprise their relatives with the good news.
The bridegroom, Ian, 46, has performed 23,000 skydives in the past 23 years, while Sian has leapt from a plane 3,000 times over 10 years.
Ian used to work for a skydiving center and Sian learned skydiving there; that’s how their love story began ten years ago. Now, Sian has grown to be one of the best skydivers in the world.
“The event is very memorable, I have been to events all over the world, and this is one of the best. It’s amazing!” said Ian after his wedding ceremony.
The joy of all the couples was shared by audiences at the expo. They received a congratulatory message from Frits Brink，President of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.
He used the aviation term “perfect landing” to express his best wishes to the newly-weds for their marriages and lives.
He also entered the hot air balloon of one of the couples to act as witness to their precious moment.
Ian Hodgkinson and Sian Stokes, who are both skydivers, become the 100th couple to register for the event. [Photo by Li Chenxi/chinadaily.com.cn]
