Sixteen Chinese couples will tie the knot on the idyllic Greek island of Crete on Friday, April 25. Preparations are already underway for the big day at the ‘Koules’ fortress in Chania, where the wedding rehearsal took place couple of days ago.

The ceremony was organized as part of the annual Shanghai Tourism Festival with the municipality of Huangpu. The event will be broadcasted at the 2014 Shanghai Cultural and Tourism Event Week, while the TV advertisement is expected to reach an audience of 350 million spectators living in the wider Shanghai region, giving Greece mass exposure to an ever-growing tourism market.

The 16 couples are accompanied by relatives and friends, as well as members of the organizing committee and the Chinese tourism office and 20 Chinese journalists who are expected to cover the event, following the newlyweds as they visit Chania’s Venetian port and ancient market.