BOGOTA, Colombia – An unusual marriage took place on Sunday in Bogotá.
Dressed in a white suit and a red tie, Richard Torres, a young environmentalist from Peru, sealed his love for a tree in a symbolic act meant to emphasize the importance of preserving nature.
"I declare you life partners and forever in pure love, on behalf of the elements of nature and of God " said Colombian actress Kristina Lilley, who performed the ceremony on Bogota's National Park.
The participants, some with musical instruments in hand, threw rice at the newlyweds and demanded in chorus: " Kiss, kiss, kiss... "
Torres said in an interview with The Associated Press that the initiative "is setting a precedent for people to compromise and not kill nature.”
Meanwhile, Lilley said: "The call was to preserve the environment, to stop cutting trees, care for animals and live in peace and tolerance."
Based on reporting by the Associated Press.