Every woman dreams of her big day when she ties the knot with the right man, but for Chang Fang, the march up the aisle ended at a video screen rather than her bridegroom's side.

Husband-to-be Lang Meng was at the other end of China, taking time out from trying to save the lives of earthquake victims to pledge his troth by video link.

That didn't stop Chang and the two families from celebrating in full ceremonial style. She arrived at 9 a.m. sharp on Saturday at the hotel they had booked, attired in her fire brigade dress uniform.

She passed under an arch of fresh flowers towards the screen, which featured a young man sporting a relief worker's vest, and the families burst into applause.

The wedding of the two fire brigade officers took place in Xinmin city, in northeast China's Liaoning Province, despite the groom, a member of the Baita fire control detachment of Liaoyang City, Liaoning, being away helping quake survivors in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

Chang and Lang, who met at a professional training course, had repeatedly rescheduled their marriage date because of other obligations before settling on May 17.

But Lang was called away early on Wednesday after the 7.8-magnitude quake rocked southwest China on Monday.

To the tune of Hong Kong pop diva Faye Wong's "I am willing", the groom's mother slipped a diamond ring on the bride's finger and they hugged and wept.

On the video, Lang held a bottle of mineral water high, toasting Chang who was holding a glass of wine.

"I'm okay here, and I'm sorry for not being there at the ceremony, but I will make up for it when I return," he said.

"Be good and we all support you," replied Chang. "This marriage is not simple, it is full of romance. I think I am the happiest woman in the world."

Without an exchange of vows, Chang and Lang tied the knot in front of friends and relatives in an 18-minute ceremony.

Meanwhile, bride Qiu Yuanyuan, in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, also tied the knot with the aid of modern telecommunications technology.

Qiu's army pilot bridegroom, Rao Xin, had his leave cancelled in order to fly quake relief missions in Sichuan well before his pre-planned wedding at 6 p.m.on Friday.

The ceremony, however, went ahead -- if not as planned. Qiu, clad in a white wedding gown, stood alone at the entrance of Jinling Hotel, Nanjing, holding a bouquet of fresh flowers and greeting friends and relatives to the function.

Qiu was presented by her parents to Rao's parents, with Rao's mother helping Qiu put the wedding ring on.

By phone, Rao consoled Qiu on his absence.

Their ceremony in the end became a fund-raising occasion for the quake-hit areas, through which more than 160,500 yuan (22,929 US dollars) was raised. Enditem

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發布時間: 2008-05-17 20:59

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