TIJUANA – The couples jammed a park as far as the eye could see, 2,012 of them. Holding hands, they pressed together under cold, cloudy skies. Some had been together a matter of months, others decades.

And on the day love reigns, they got officially married.

In one of the largest "collective weddings" in the city's history, the couples participated Tuesday in an outdoor ceremony presided by Mayor Carlos Bustamante in an appropriate spot, Friendship Park.

In what's become an annual tradition, the municipal government organizes the massive event to encourage couples to legally wed at no cost.

The couples wore coats and jackets against the winter winds, some above crisp, new white dresses.

Many stood next to their children, also attired in their best.

"When they say that families are disintegrating in Mexico, I tell them that in Tijuana they are coming together," the mayor told them. "Proof of this is the 2,012 couples who are marrying today."

As the couples finished reciting their last public vow, they headed out of the cold to the warmth of their homes across the city, many to continue their celebration.

Though large by Tijuana standards, this was not the largest "boda colectiva" along the border.

In Juarez, across the border from El Paso, 6,242 people said "I do" on the day set aside for love and friendship.

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