Couple say "I do" by cell phone

AHMEDABAD, India: A couple exchanged wedding vows by cellular phone after the bridegroom could not make it to the marriage ceremony because of torrential rains in western India.

The innovative marriage was solemnised by a chief priest at the weekend after severe flooding in Gujarat prevented Ashifkhan Jahurkhan, 25, from reaching the bride's house in Bombay, the country's commercial capital.

"We made the best use of technology. It was impossible for me and my family to reach Bombay as roads are flooded with water," said the groom who's still to meet his bride after the wedding.

Witnesses on both sides kept their phones on speaker mode to ensure all relatives heard the bride and groom's assent in the 30-minute ceremony.

Gujarat, India's second most industrialised state, has been pounded by heavy rains over the past week, leaving more than 125 people dead and thousands homeless.

Normal life has come to a standstill with rail links in the state disrupted for days.