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Around 100 elderly residents from care homes across Hong Kong dressed in wedding gowns, suits and traditional bridal outfits on Wednesday as they took part in a wedding banquet designed to celebrate love, gratitude and lifelong companionship.
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Organized by Po Leung Kuk, the event brought together seniors from 13 elderly homes, with the participants’ combined ages exceeding 8,000 years. The oldest participant was 98 years old, while some couples had been married for more than half a century.
The banquet recreated the atmosphere of a traditional Chinese wedding celebration, allowing elderly participants to fulfill wedding dreams or relive cherished memories from decades ago.
Seniors entered the venue in formal attire for a toast ceremony, while a same-day video segment captured touching behind-the-scenes moments of participants preparing for the event earlier in the day.
The event also incorporated artificial intelligence technology, transforming old dating and wedding photos of the elderly participants into animated videos so they could revisit their memories in a new way.
A “message of love” wall was set up at the venue for guests to leave blessings for the seniors. Organizers said the event aimed to encourage elderly people to openly express love and gratitude to their families and companions. Several couples also shared their stories on stage.
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Among them were a 90-year-old man and his 83-year-old wife, who recalled an incident decades ago when she was hospitalized and casually mentioned wanting to go home.
She said her husband secretly took her out of the hospital because he could not bear seeing her unhappy.
The husband laughed as he recalled never refusing his wife’s requests, saying: “Making her smile is my greatest achievement in life.”
Another couple, aged 96 and 86, said they had been married for nearly 60 years since tying the knot in 1966.
They said the best kind of love was companionship through hardship and old age — from working hard together in their younger years to supporting each other now while living together in a care home and joining activities side by side.
