text: A mass doggy wedding saw more than 40 pooches, complete with tulle wedding dresses and celebrity guests, tie the knot in a park in Beijing on Sunday. The collective ceremony, which was billed the first of its kind to be held in China, was organised by a new social media app designed for pets. A traditional wedding march played as the love-struck pooches were led down the aisle by their owners to ‘exchange vows’ and receive marriage certificates, according to the People’s Daily Online. Love-struck pooches were led up the aisle by owners to ‘exchange vows’ and receive marriage certificates . Canine couples arrived in BMW convertibles and, in one case, a stretch Hummer limousine . Forty-two dogs tied the knot at the wedding, which is complete with tulle wedding dresses and celebrity owners . No expense was spared for the special occasion, as the 21 canine couples arrived in BMW convertibles and a stretch Hummer limousine. Organisers set up lavish flower arches and banquet tables in the park, where the couples showed off their outfits. One pet owner who attended the wedding, Ms Li, said: ‘I have attended many weddings before, but this is the first time I've ever been to such a large scale collective pet wedding. ‘Looking at these lovely pets getting married and listening to their stories, I was really moved.’ One owner said this was the first collective pet wedding for her and she was really moved by the scene . Organisers said the wedding was designed to give pets and their owners a day to remember . The ceremony was also designed to raise awareness of animal rights, said the organiser . Organiser Zhang Zhongsham, CEO of pet social media app Smack Talk, said the event was designed not only to give pets and their owners a day to remember, but also to raise awareness of animal rights. He said: ‘The idea of a collective wedding came about from our previous communication and research with users. ‘This is our first try and we want to take the opportunity to continually promote the development of the pet industry, improve the social lives of our pets and allow them to enjoy egalitarian treatment to that of mankind.’ Among the guests were Chinese Olympic gymnast and gold medallist Teng Haibin, who married off his pet. The organiser Smack Talk, which is available in Simplified Chinese on iPhone and Android, allows pets to have their own social media profile page and aims to get pets ‘speaking’ via their owners. The app has gained millions of users in three months . Chinese Olympic gymnast and gold medallist Teng Haibin (centre) also married off his pet . The wedding is organised by Smack Talk, a social media app for pets to have their own online pages .
target: The pets wear tulle wedding dresses and tuxedos with bow ties .
  Couples are given marriage certificates after 'exchanging vows'
  Wedding is organised to promote a social media app designed for pets .
  No expense spared as pooches arrived in BMWs and a stretch Hummer .