Shock as brides marry trees in bizarre mass wedding performed by a 'priest'

 The bride kissing a tree

A group of young women have been filmed taking part in a bizarre mass wedding - when they put on white wedding dresses and tied the knot to a TREE.

Nature activists held the unusual ceremony in Peruvian capital Lima, where leaves were used instead of confetti and brides kissed the 'groom' on the trunk after taking their vows.

They all pledged to look after the trees until they were parted by death.

The wedding was organized by Peruvian artist and activist Richard Torres, who is famed internationally for his pro-tree performances.

He acted as a priest, while the brides were local actresses he had persuaded to perform for the occasion.

The women, mostly wearing white wedding dresses and carrying white bouquets of flowers, had to promise to look after the trees until parted by death.

Mr Torres said: "We are giving a message of peace, giving a message to make people aware of the need to take care of trees."

Patricia Serra, one of the brides, said: "This event is to make people aware of the need to love trees and this is a commitment that is going to be for the rest of your life, it is the same as a common wedding, making a promise.

"Trees do not have a voice but we all are listening to their protests and therefore we are here."

The aim of the event was to remind Peruvians of the value of trees and the need to look after them.

Mr Torres, the leader of the Corazones Verdes - Green Hearts - movement, says many have been lost to new developments in Lima and he wants to save those that remain.

He also plans to stage similar events in other countries to try to save thousands of threes threatened by the high level of felling in Latin America.