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Johnny Le, 30, and his partner Houston Marsh, 32, of Langley got married with their dogs Rafa and Cisco at their side.

The couple have been engaged for five years and just never got around to making it official.

“Neither of us are any good at planning, so we figured this is the way to go,” said Le.

The event was hosted by popupweddingsbc.com. Holly Halter, co-owner of the company, said they brought in the marriage officiants for the free wedding to make it all legal. The only request they had was for people to arrive with the unsigned marriage licence and $20 to give to the Vancouver Food Bank.

Some took part because the cost of a traditional wedding was too much, while others just figured it was the right time and liked the casual feel of the event, she said.

“A lot of people don’t have the budget for a wedding and they are down here to take advantage of the free event,” said Halter. Last year, the event saw 77 couples get married and this time more than a hundred.

Photo by NICK PROCAYLO / PNG

Despite Robson Square being packed with newlyweds, wedding trends show marriages in B.C. are declining.

Carly Ridyard, 33, and Nick Siddall, 30, of Port Moody were married in a ceremony in Mexico in the fall, but they wanted to make it official and decided to do it at Robson Square.

Siddall even got to wear his favourite red-and-white baseball cap during the ceremony.

“Nice to see so many couples doing this,” said Ridyard. “This is a really good idea for people who can’t afford a big wedding.”

Derek Hall, 34, married Nadia, 31, with his young children Hailey and Lelynd by their side.

The North Delta couple liked the open format of the wedding ceremony at the bottom of the stairs in Robson Square.

“It is a relaxed feeling,” said Nadia.

Hall said they were planning on getting married, and this was the perfect opportunity.

“With us it was not spur of the moment,” he said. “We had planned on getting married — and we want a baby.”

jcolebourn@postmedia.com

Photo by NICK PROCAYLO / PNG