Guests at a wedding service saw triple when three identical sisters tied the knot together at the same ceremony.
Triplets Rafaela, Rochele and Tagiane Bini share the same birthday, the same looks and tastes, and now — after marrying men who look strikingly similar — the same wedding anniversary too.
The 29-year-old sisters, from Passo Fundo, southern Brazil, even wore the same wedding dress, as well as hair style and makeup, for their big day Saturday.
A different color of bouquet was the only clue to help bewildered friends and family distinguish one bride from the other.
Even the grooms — Rafael, Gabriel and Eduardo — admitted they had worried they might mix up their wives-to-be when it came to exchanging vows.
Rafael, who married Rafaela, told how the girls sometimes deliberately confused their fiances.
He remembered: 「There was a time when we were all in the kitchen making dinner. So Rochele, who is Gabriel’s, was doing stuff at the sink, and Rafaela was at the stove.
「We were there chatting and they changed places. I went behind to hug her, and said 『oops』 when I realized I』d got the wrong girl.」
On Saturday, though, the men insisted they didn’t have a problem recognizing the loves of their lives.
「Oh yes, I knew which one was mine, for sure. I knew as soon as she entered the church, she was the most beautiful,」 said Eduardo, who married Tagiane.
The sisters told how, like other identical siblings, they have always been close and shared the same tastes and interests since they were babies.
Their parents, Pedro and Salete, already had one daughter, Liziele, when they decided to increase the family — but never imagined three more girls would come at once.
Mother Salete fainted when she was told she was expecting triplets, according to the girls.
Rafaela was the first to find her future husband, Rafael, ten years ago while studying at university. A year later, Rochele got together with Gabriel.
It was parents Pedro and Salete who suggested the girls all get married together after Tagiane also got engaged to Eduardo.
The only dilemma for Pedro, a farmer, was how he would walk all three daughters down the aisle at once.
He said: 「We decided that we would all walk down the aisle until half way down the church. From there, I would take one at a time.」
The pews at the Nossa Senhora Aparecida catholic cathedral in Passo Fundo were moved apart to allow more space for the three brides to walk down the aisle together.
They were followed by 18 bridesmaids and page boys, each using the chosen color of the bride they were representing, yellow for Rafaela, blue for Rochele and red for Tagiane.
The first to be taken to the altar by their father was Tagiane, who was the first to be born. She remembered: 「I tried to hold back my emotion, but I couldn’t. To see my dad there, at that moment, was a feeling I can’t explain.」(SD-Agencies)
The girls explained how they all went together to get their hair and make-up done with the intention of looking different.
But Rochele said: 「We tried a number of styles, but we all liked the same one. It’s not even worth trying, it always ends up like that.」
After the ceremony, the fact that there were three bouquets to be caught was not lost on the female guests, according to the sisters.
And for Eduardo, the fact that triplets run in their wives family hasn’t put the husbands off.
He said: 「We’re going to think about starting our family. If we have triplets, it won’t be easy, but they will be a blessing and we』ll raise them with love.」