By Emma Morley

Last updated 10:53, Friday, 11 July 2008

The day you get married is always a memorable date, but when Rachel Messenger and Richard Haresign chose 8/8/08 to tie the knot they were unaware of its special significance.

Richard and Rachel get married on 8/8/08

The number eight has particular significance in Chinese folklore as it stands for prosperity and wealth, making the eighth day of the eighth month of 2008 especially propitious. In fact, the Beijing Olympics are set to open on 8/8/08 at 8.08pm.

But it was the memorable nature of the numbers that initially attracted Rachel and Richard to the date.

The couple, who live in Morton Park, met seven years ago and Richard, 31, who works as a photocopier engineer, proposed two years later.

They decided to start planning their big day in March last year.

Rachel, 23, a customer service assistant at The Range in Carlisle, said: “We didn’t have a special date that we wanted to get married on but we wanted a summer wedding. Then we found 8/8/08 and thought it would be a great date to marry on.”

It was only after choosing the date that they became aware of its significance in Chinese culture.

They will get married at Carlisle Register Office at 2pm followed by a reception at the Swallow Hilltop Hotel in Carlisle.

“When we told people the date they said that it is meant to be a really lucky day,” said Rachel. “When we booked we weren’t restricted by where we could go, but I think people started to latch on to the date and then venues became booked up.

“It will be easy to remember our wedding anniversary.”

Although the date falls on a Friday, couples have still been keen to marry on this special day.

There will be 24 weddings taking place at the Blacksmiths in Gretna Green, more than on a typical Friday.

Manager Diane Boyd said: “Many of the weddings have been booked for about a year. This is quite a high number for a Friday. I think people are starting to catch on to the idea of these types of dates. We had 29 weddings on 7/7/07, which was a Saturday.

“I think couples like something that is different and will make their anniversary stand out.”

The state media in China have said that thousands of Chinese couples have applied to get married on August 8 to help celebrate the opening of the Olympic Games.