EIGHTY brides get married in single ceremony in South African church

Incredible EIGHTY brides get married during single ceremony in South African church on Easter Sunday

• The International Pentecost Holiness Church is known for its mass weddings
• Its celebrations began on Friday and are set to continue to Monday

An incredible 80 brides have gotten married during a single ceremony in a South African church on Easter Sunday. 

The International Pentecost Holiness Church in Zuurbekom, south of Johannesburg, witnessed a sea of white during today’s Easter Sunday service as couples said ‘I do’ in the country’s biggest mass wedding ceremony. 

The invitation-only service, which began on Friday, is set to end on Monday following the celebrations.

This year’s celebration marks the largest South African mass wedding since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 and is set to bring joy to members of the church.

A group of brides are seen waiting at the International Pentecostal Holiness Church in Zuurbekom, south of Johannesburg, as they take part in a mass wedding ceremony

A bride and groom stand side by side as other women are pictured getting ready in the background

Last year, on the Zuurbekom church’s 60th anniversary, 53 couples took the plunge on December 25 and said I do in another one of their mass celebrations.

Abel Wessie, the IPHC executive council chairperson, told The Sunday Times: ‘We will be celebrating a wedding on Sunday as per usual. We are expecting quite a number of people, about 90,000.’

Mr Wessie confirmed that the church was more than prepared for the mass gathering and safety measures for the congregants were put into place beforehand. 

With a staggering 3 million-strong membership, the IPHC is the second-biggest church in the country following the Zion Christian Church in Limpopo Province, South Africa.

A bride and a groom pose outside of the Church in Zuurbekom next to two green and white vintage cars

A bride walks into the International Pentecostal Holiness Church with a bright bouquet in front of the huge crowd

A group of brides are seen waiting patiently for their turn in the mass wedding ceremony today

The wedding bells follow the church’s ongoing leadership succession battle that is presently playing out in the Pretoria High Court.

Arguments at the church were sparked after the passing of IPHC leader Glayton Modise in 2016 as all three of Modise’s sons believe they should succeed their father as leader. 

The church is now facing divisions with each son leading their own faction in hopes of attaining the estate, which is valued at 400 million.

A group of brides are seen waiting for their big moment during the Easter Sunday service

A shot taken from outside of the church shows the brides sat in orderly rows in anticipation of their turn

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