MUMBAI: Beautiful white wedding dress. Friends and family. Picturesque location. Drinks and drinks galore. This wedding in China was what dreams are made of. Just one problem …. it’s illegal.

Meet Li Tingting and Teresa Xu. They got married last week at an informal and unofficial ceremony at a restaurant in Beijing, in the company of about 20 friends.

Why was their picturesque wedding illegal? They’re women. And same-sex marriages are not (yet) recognised by the Chinese state.

The two women were spurred on by the recent US supreme court legislation that has allowed for same-sex marriages across America.

Li, on the right in the below photo, is a prominent women's rights campaigner in China. She was detained earlier this year in a crackdown on social activism, and during that time she was not allowed to see Xu -- because as far as the Chinese state is concerned, they are not partners!

Li says that hey decided to get married because they wanted "to take some action to advocate for same-sex marriage".”It's doing the impossible when you know it's impossible, but it takes those constant efforts to make changes in history" Li is quoted in The Independent.

Well, Chinese state extended congratulations or not, they have my support and good wishes!