Giving new meaning to the term "classmate," 15 young couples from a single university class of 43 students held a joint wedding ceremony in Chongqing, southwest China, last Monday.

上周一，15对来自某大学一43人的班级的情侣，在中国西南部的重庆市举行了一场集体婚礼，为“同班同学”一词赋予了新的含义。

The couples all got together during a four-year undergraduate course in nearby Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province and eight of the couples were already married.

这些情侣均来自四川成都某高校，在本科四年学习期间确定了恋爱关系，目前已有八对正式领证。

Their trip to Chongqing was one of the pre-graduation blowouts that many Chinese classes take.

此次的重庆之行也不过是这些学生在毕业之前的庆祝活动之一，国内很多学生都会如此。

Liu Chao (pseudonym), the key planner of the ceremony and one of the bridegrooms, told the Chengdu Evening News that the event was intended to strengthen their classmate relationships.

此次集体婚礼的策划者、同时也是新郎之一的刘超（化名）在接受《成都晚报》采访时表示，该仪式是为了进一步加强同学之间的关系。

Liu prepared fake diamond rings, rented wedding outfits¹ and hired a team to decorate the venue², in a Chongqing scenic³ spot.

刘超事先准备好了仿真钻戒，特意租了婚纱礼服并专门雇用一个团队前来重庆的景区搭建并装饰婚礼现场。

The joint wedding was also a cost-saving initiative for the young, cash-strapped lovers. Many of their friends and strangers chipped in, and the scenic spot even offered the venue for free.

对于那些资金尚且不足的年轻情侣来说，这场集体婚礼节省了不少开支。许多朋友和陌生人都纷纷拿出了份子钱，景区甚至免费借给他们做场地。

The bash cost just over 600 yuan (87 US dollars) per person, according to Liu.

据刘超透露，最后算下来，他们每个人的花费不过也就600（合87美元）多元。

Chinese on Weibo were divided over the event. Some sent their best wishes to the couples while some others questioned whether they were taking marriage seriously.

新浪微博上的各位网友对这场集体婚礼却持有不同看法。一些人将衷心的祝福送给了这些情侣，也有一些人质疑这些年轻人是否对婚姻持认真态度。

"From statistics, we can see only 10 percent of college couples get married, so this is quite a rare case. I bless them, but it should also be treated rationally as some naive⁴ students may follow them to marry at a young age," @pengshangqiangyuzhengquanwulixue said.

一位名为“彭商强与证券物理学”的新浪网友评论道：“从数据来看，一般大学情侣只有10%的比例最后结婚，所以这种事例确实罕见。我祝福他们，但同时也应该理性看待，毕竟这很可能导致有些天真的学生也跟风早早结婚。”