Photos of two allegedly 16-year-old dressed in wedding gown and suits at what seemed to be a wedding scene have triggered heated discussion on Chinese social media. The two teens, who were first reported to be a 13-year-old groom and a 16-year-old bride, have made clarification online that their marriage has won blessing and support from their parents, despite the legal marriageable age in China is 22 for male and 20 for female.

The couple, both from southwest China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, claimed to have known each other for over a year. Both have dropped out of school. Aside from clarifying their ages in the online statement, the two also refuted netizens’ speculation that the marriage is due to the bride’s pregnancy. “The marriage between us is just inevitable after knowing each other for over a year. So we just hold the ceremony and will get a marriage certificate after we reach our legal age,” said the 16-year-old bride.