Source : Al Jazeera / 26 Mar 2013

The Gulf state of Qatar is among the wealthiest countries in the world. But despite the affluence, increasingly extravagant weddings in Qatar are making it difficult for men, who pay for the celebrations, to foot the bill.

Jamal Qassim said he spent 450,000 Qatari riyals ($123,600) on his wedding. He worked and saved for nine years to pay for it. "I didn't even travel once outside of Qatar. I was saving and saving. I didn't buy myself a fancy car." He said he now regrets paying that much. At the end of 2012, he was in the process of getting a divorce.

Source : Nirmala George | AP
NEW DELHI | 21 Jul 2011

When the daughter of businessman Mohammed Sultan got married recently, guests were treated to a lavish 30-course meal served in super-sized silver platters.

The Kashmiri feast, prepared by an army of chefs, included more than 20 meat and kebab dishes rich with spices to go with the saffron-flavored rice and naan breads.

Hours later, after the more than 500 guests had eaten their fill, the leftovers were dumped by the cartload at a nearby garbage site.

Source : Arab News
JEDDAH | 19 Jun 2011

There were 500,000 divorce cases in Saudi Arabia in less than two decades, Asharq Al-Awsat, a sister publication of Arab News, reported Friday quoting a field study that claimed the figures represented a worrying trend.

The study, conducted by researcher Salman bin Muhammad Al-Amri, said divorces were particularly common among young couple and asked for establishing special offices for marriage counseling under the umbrella of Shariah courts.

Source : AP
KABUL : Afghanistan | 20 Jun 2011

Some brides in Afghanistan change their outfits up to 10 times. Throw in the six-hour trips to the beauty parlors and the meals for 1,000 guests — and one wedding alone could bankrupt many Afghans.

Now the Justice Ministry is proposing limits on the lavish events to cut down on the pressure poor Afghans face to match the elite’s elaborate weddings. The government is specifically targeting party halls — and threatening to fine owners who flout the austerity rules.