Malaysia - Looking forward to a lifetime of happiness, 85 couples chose to get hitched here on "0909" which symbolised longevity.

In a mass wedding at the Klang Hokkien Association Hall yesterday, the 170 brides and grooms said "I do" to each other.

In Mandarin, the words for nine and long are homophones - they sound similar but have different meanings.

"The date itself has no special significance to the Chinese. But the number nine means long, and today is double nine, so the couples are hoping that their marriage will last a long time," said Klang Hokkien Association president Teh Kim Teh.

For beautician Sabrina Tee, 24, the date has a special meaning to her as it coincides with her Chinese birthday.

"We planned half a year in advance so that we can get married on this date," said Tee, who tied the knot with Chong Zhan Ming, 34.

"It is also fun to get married in a big group. The more the merrier," she added.