Florida woman 'marries' 100-year-old tree

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FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) -- Karen Cooper was ready to go out on a limb to save her beloved, so she got married -- to a tree.

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Specifically, a giant ficus that's shaded Snell Family Park in Fort Myers for more than a century.

The tree became the center of a neighborhood controversy when city staff began discussing cutting it down last year. Cooper, who lives nearby, began mobilizing to save it.

The News-Press reports effort that culminated with the waterfront nuptials Saturday, complete with flowers, music, a tree-decorated wedding cake and a canine ring-bearer named Little Bear.

Though rooted on city property, some of the Indian laurel's 8,000-square-foot canopy and root system extends to a neighboring lot, for sale for $1 million.

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