I see from the latest Guinness World records 2004 that there are
details of the longest wedding veil in the world mentioned
Are there any photos or articles about this event anywhere, please?

Hello.

Yes, it seems that Guinness certified a new record for wedding veil
length several months ago when Ethiopian marathon runner Gezahegn
Abera married a fellow athlete.

"In May, the two were wedded in a gigantic ceremony at the Addis Ababa
Stadium where no less than 25,000 people were in attendance. Alemu
entered in the Guiness Book of World Records with her wedding veil
covering a length of 600m, which was so long that it needed over 100
students drawn from government and community school to carry it as it
filled the entire running track at the stadium."
source:
"The Marathon Couple aim to make it big in Paris" By Elsahadi Negash
Wedding photo and complete article at Ethiosports.com:
http://www.ethiosports.com/The%20Marathon%20Couple.html


Additional articles:

"When Alemu married Gezahegne Abera, the world and Olympic marathon
champion, in the Addis Ababa national stadium in May, a few weeks
after his victory in the London Marathon in April, it was attended by
25,000 guests. Alemu’s wedding veil stretched for 600 metres, breaking
the royal record, one recognised by Guinness World Records. Some 300
students were needed to carry it."
source:
"Abera planning to outshine his wife"
Times Online (South Africa), August 30, 2003
Article at:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7713-797477,00.html

"Meanwhile the 500 meter long Veil of Elfinesh Alemu has been
registered in the Guiness Book of World Records as the longest one
followed by the late princess Diana which was 20 meters long."
source: Waltainfo.com
http://www.waltainfo.com/EnNews/2003/Jun/08Jun03/jun08e1.htm


"...The happy couple, complete with the 50 [?] metre veil, walked
round the stadium to the cheers of young and old, men and women...
A congratulatory message also came from the management of the Guinness
Book Of Records, which said both the wedding train and the display of
red anti-Aids ribbons, the largest at a single wedding, have been
entered as records in its book as of June 8.
The longest wedding veil-train previously recorded in the Guinness
Book was 20 metres, and belonged to the late Princess Diana of Wales."
source:
"Athletics stars wed in anti-Aids ceremony"
Independent Online (South Africa), June 08 2003
Complete article at:
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=87&art_id=qw1055081160957B231&set_id

search strategy:
guinness wedding veil
ethiopia, wedding veil

I hope this helps.

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Request for Answer Clarification by nick2646-ga on 23 Sep 2003 05:22 PDT

Thank you for your info, but I believe that GWR 2004 has different
info and what you have sent me is out of date
I am assuming that the info in GWR 2004 is correct and I would like
photos and/or a news report.
I will enter more info when I`ve checked the dates quoted in GWR 2004

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Clarification of Answer by juggler-ga on 23 Sep 2003 10:55 PDT

Let me know what additional information you have, and I'll be glad to
continue researching this.

juggler

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Request for Answer Clarification by nick2646-ga on 24 Sep 2003 02:41 PDT

Re-previous message, here is further info.
The latest edition of Guinness World Records 2004 just published
states that the world`s longest wedding veil was used on 31 Dec 2000
at a civil wedding ceremony in Hyogo( I think this is right) in Japan
and measured 6639 feet long!
So this is what I am looking for photos/articles of.
I believe that the Ethopian runner record was in fact for the wedding
dress train and not for the veil.
Any other info on earlier attempts at wedding veil record would be of
interest
many thanks for assistance

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Clarification of Answer by juggler-ga on 24 Sep 2003 03:29 PDT

Hmmm, I haven't been able to find anything about this Japanese veil. 
Wow, though, 6639 feet?  Hard to imagine a 1.2 mile-long veil.

I did find this brief 1996 article in a newspaper database:

"Here comes the bride. There goes her veil - up the aisle and out the
door.
Claudia Armillei paraded into the church Sunday trailing 1,320 feet of
lace, ribbon and mesh.
The 23-year-old bride said she believed it was the longest bridal veil
ever made. No one wanted to ruin her wedding day with the news that
the Guinness Book of Records has no such listing."
source:
"Bride's veil 1,320 feet long"
Associated Press. Cincinnati Post. May 27, 1996.  pg. 2.A

A similar article appeared in the Dayton Daily News, archived by
Newsbank:
http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DDNB&p_theme=ddnb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_field_label-0=Author&p_field_label-1=title&p_bool_label-1=AND&s_dispstring=%20Claudia%20Armillei%20AND%20date(all)&p_field_advanced-0=&p_text_advanced-0=(%20Claudia%20Armillei)&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no
There was apparently an Associated Press photo of that veil.

I will continue searching...

I had researched this for a bit but gave up because I found
conflicting lengths mentioned for that particular veil and also I read
the wedding train question and it's the same couple, so I wasn't sure
if the reports were getting the train and the veil mixed up. Both
reports said it was record breaking. Myabe the train AND veil were
both record breaking? I wasn't sure so I didn't want to post. This is
a toughie since reports keep conflicting.