First Czechs Get Married Underwater

It was a beautifully bubbly, history-making ceremony.

The first official Czech marriage under water was concluded as Katerina Srajerova and Jiri Stancl said their "yes" four metres under water level in the public swimming pool Dobrak at 11:30 a.m. Saturday.

Their performance will be entered in the Czech book of records.

Marriage under water has taken place several times in the Czech Republic. However, it was always preceded by an official ceremony above the water level, Josef Vanek from the Good Day Agency that registers Czech records said.

For Stanc, a teacher at a police academy, it was not the first wedding. The idea occurred to him even before he was introduced to his current wife.

She was not married before and she is no experienced diver. She only made her first diving during the rehearsal for the wedding a week ago.

"At first, she was rather surprised, but she eventually agreed with my idea," Stancl said before the wedding.

About 30 wedding guests could see the wedding kiss under the water. About the same number of people, mostly relatives, stayed above the swimming pool.

There were all the usual paraphernalia. There was an under-water wedding room along with the state coat of arms. There was the registrar, the spouses confirmed their consent with a signature on a special tablet and champagne was eventually drunk.

The ceremony lasted about 30 minutes.