BANGKOK, Thailand (AP)--Thai farmer Amphol Wangboon was hesitant to give up his beloved Thong Khaow for marriage until he found her the perfect match and a dowry he couldn't refuse: truckloads of fresh grass, hay, maize and 100,000 baht (US$2,400; euro2,000).

Thong Khaow and her new mate, Thong Kham--a pair of rare dwarf Brahman cattle--were married Sunday morning in a traditional Thai ceremony featuring processions and a banquet for more than 2,000 human guests at a cattle market in central Sa Kaew province.

The animals wore silk outfits and jasmine garlands. Other beasts, including goats, also attended the wedding.

"These cattle are very rare...and (these two have) found each other," said Amphol, a village headman in the province's Klong Hinpoon district.

Nineteen-month-old Thong Khaow, whose name means white gold, stands 70 centimeters (30 inches) tall and weighs 70 kilograms (150 pounds). A normal Brahman cow her age would be 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) tall and 300 kilograms (660 pounds).

Thong Kham, or "gold," comes from neighboring Prachinburi province and is five centimeters (2 inches) taller than his new spouse and 10 kilograms (20 pounds) heavier.

Amphol said Thong Kham's owner, Krachang Kanokprasert, offered him the cash and the feed dowry as part of the wedding festivities.

"I wasn't going to sell her--she's a special find--but Krachang said he would take care of her and wanted the couple for a display in front of his restaurant," Amphol said. "If he takes good care of her, I don't mind giving her to him."

Sa Kaew is about 160 kilometers (99 miles) east of Bangkok.

Date: 7/21/05