Here comes the bride ... big, fat and wide.

Ah, but it may be the social event of the year in Yilan, Taiwan and these two hogs are certainly in matrimonial heaven.

With the Year of the Pig around the corner, a pair of pet pigs Shui Fu-ko, the bridegroom, and Huang Pu-pu, the bride got marital blessings from their owners, local folks, county leaders and even a priest who presided over their nuptials on Monday.

Every guest invited to grace the pig couple's big day was required to give a red envelope of at least NT$100 ($3) as a congratulatory gift.

All the money collected was to go to a philanthropic fund to buy a minibus for a local charity.

At the wedding ceremony, a duo of parrots served as the best man and maid of honor, escorting the porcine pair to the prearranged spot to "exchange their vows" by snorting to each other. The two were later sent into their cozy "honeymoon suite" with cheers and music resounding at the first such wedding ceremony ever held in Taiwan.

"They deserve a grand ceremony because the pair are no common pigs, waiting to enrich culinary variety for dinners from birth," said Shui Fu-ko's keeper, surnamed Shui, who runs a farm on the northeastern part of the Island.

Shui Fu-ko rose to Hollywood star-type popularity among visitors to the farm as the business-savvy Shui gave him a snappy name and an identification card numbered D123456888.

To find the right mate, Shui posted up a lonely-hearts advertisement in a bid to land Shui Fu-ko a sweet sow. "We arranged four blind dates for our star pig, and the final pick was Huang Pu-pu, so she became the bride of our golden pig." Shui noted.

"They look like a perfect match. Both are more than 1 year old and similar in shape." Shui said, with evident satisfaction.

"They seemed extremely happy with their union at the ceremony, except that their wedding attire had been altered from that of dogs. The clothes didn't really fit that well."

Source: China Daily