A happy couple proudly hold their marriage certificate at Shizhong district's marriage registration office in Jinan, the capital city of Shandong Province, on Tuesday. [qlwb.com.cn]

Young lovers in Shandong Province rushed to tie the knot on Tuesday in celebration of Valentine's Day.

Long queues of couples formed at marriage registration offices in cities, waiting to get their marriage certificates.

Statistics from the provincial department of civil affairs showed that a total of 17,199 couples had registered for marriage in the province by 4:40 pm on Tuesday.