Couples tied the knot in a mass wedding on 6 January in Harbin, one of the coldest cities in China located on the edge of Siberia. The 15 couples, including one from Ukraine, made their vows and exchanged wedding rings in temperatures as low as -20C. A 26-year-old bride Sun Liyun marrying her 27-year-old groom said that the wedding was special for both of them.

"First of all, both of us grew up in Harbin. Harbin is an ice city, so we have an affinity with ice and snow. So we want to hold our wedding ceremony under the witness of ice and snow. It is very meaningful to us," Sun said.

Another couple who have been in a relationship for more than seven years regarded this wedding as an important moment in their life.

"It is very fancy and meaningful, and it will be a beautiful memory when [we are] looking back after years," said the 27-year-old bride Cui Hongmei.

The mass wedding is part of the 2016 Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, one of the world's most renowned winter events, which kicked off on 5 January.

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