More Than 700 Couples To Wed on Russia's National Unity Day

Hundreds of Moscow couples have registered to marry on the national holiday.

Ahead of Russia's National Unity Day on November 4, more than 700 couples in Moscow have registered to marry, according to the city's Vital Statistics Office.

Couples are drawn to symbolic date.

National Unity Day on November 4 commemorates the end of Time of Troubles, a period of political and social instability in the early 17th century, and has become a symbolic date for weddings.

Symbolic ceremony set on Red Square.

A mass wedding ceremony will be held on Red Square on November 4, with more than 200 couples expected to participate.

The couples will exchange vows in front of St. Basil's Cathedral and receive commemorative medals from the city government.

Other couples opt for more traditional settings.

Other couples are choosing to marry in more traditional settings, such as churches or wedding palaces.

The Vital Statistics Office has extended its hours on November 4 to accommodate the increased demand for marriage registrations.