JOHOR BARU: Eight more and the Johor Baru Tiong Hua Association will have the planned 88 couples to tie the knot in a special mass wedding ceremony on the auspicious date 8-8-08, or Aug 8.

Association manager Eric Ku said some 80 couples have registered for the mass wedding since registration began on July 1. He expects to see 88 couples registered by the July 25 dateline.

The Chinese believe that the day symbolises luck and prosperity.

"What better day to have a wedding," Ku told The Star here yesterday, and noted that it was a century ago that such a date occurred.

"Even the Beijing Olympics is to start on Aug 8. The date is special and easy to remember."

He said the association was planning something special to mark the Aug 8 mass wedding.

"However, the couples must wait for their big day to see what we have planned. We want the ceremony to be more memorable than our annual mass weddings," he said.

Ku added that 77 couples participated in the mass wedding ceremony the association held on July 7 last year, or 07-07-07.