Source : Arab news / 30 Aug 2014

Couples are being urged not to spend thousands on a wedding and advised to opt for cheaper weddings to escape from heavy debt. A forum highlighting how families can ease the financial burden on the groom was held recently in a local function hall in Jeddah. Several wedding planners and families with aspiring couples attended the forum.

The forum discussed ways of restraining the cost of weddings and to avoid starting married life burdened with debt. Weddings can cost up to SR100,000 and extravagant ceremonies reach SR1 million.

Mona Rub, a wedding planning expert said that the burden of dowry stresses out grooms and the additional wedding expenses lead to more strain. Likewise, the brides-to-be need not imitate people who spend thousands of riyals on their big day.

“Money is the biggest reason for the collapsing of a relationship. One should not dream of the big fantasy wedding but dream instead of a happy married life and the best way to attain then is not to start with a heavy debt.

The aim of this gathering is to raise awareness on less expensive weddings,” she added.

Sadia M., also a wedding counselor mentioned that several couples demand the best decorations and unique entrance. “It is amusing to hear the ideas of the couples. The majority of them are ready to spend around SR30,000-SR50,000 only on a table and stage decorations excluding other expenses. Sometimes such expensive wedding lead to debt and even end in divorce. It is important to create awareness about less expensive weddings,” she said.

Other speakers motivated the attendees to go for mass weddings and advised aspiring couples and their families to avoid unnecessary expenditure.

Saher Al- Saggafi, an observer said, “Weddings these days have simply become a showoff. The true meaning of marriage is lost. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said the best wedding is the simple one. So it is important to keep the essence of a real wedding.”

“I have arranged my daughter’s wedding with three other girls from my family, in order to place less pressure on the groom,” Al-Saggafi said