A TOTAL of 27 couples in La Trinidad, capital town of Benguet, tied the knot in a mass wedding that served as one of the highlights of the 38th Strawberry Festival.

“For 27 couples we congratulate you for registering and legalizing your relationship,” La Trinidad Mayor Romeo Salda said.

Mass Wedding chair and Municipal Civil Registrar Officer Joan Bacoling said this year’s celebration is the municipal government’s way of giving back to the community.

Newlywed couples were given gifts with the touch of the municipality’s One Town, One Product, strawberries with coffee trees to each couple aside from the strawberry wine and mini strawberry cakes.

Salda urged couples to plant and nourish the coffee seedlings as they nourish their relationship.

Philippine Statistics Authority Benguet records 2,596 total documented marriages in La Trinidad. There are a total of 768 registered marriages, lower than the 824 registered in 2017.