ALKHOBAR, 12 August— As the summer winds down, once again we come to the end of the wedding season, and this year it was worse than ever. There’s just no pleasure in it anymore. Long after the festivities are over, the terrible memories linger. Most of the families who hosted this season’s wedding parties are now deep in debt. The guests paid thousands of riyals for clothes, airline tickets and accommodations. Despite all the time and money squandered on the events there were still complaints. The only people who continue to be delighted with the whole mess are the hotels, caterers and hairdressers.
I met a young woman recently who decided that she didn’t want the usual wedding misery for a memory and so she did something different. She held her wedding party at Disney World and had her honeymoon at a Disney Resort. Her husband spent far less than he would have on the traditional party, they enjoyed themselves more and they aren’t deep in debt at the start of their marriage.
Perhaps it’s necessary to backtrack a little here and explain that in Saudi Arabia all couples are legally married at the ceremony called the “Mulka.” The party on the night of the Mulka is generally small and is often held at the home of the bride. Even though the couple is now married, they do not live together until after the “Zawaj.” It is this large party with all its associated costs that can bankrupt families.
Instead of holding a traditional “Zawaj,” the young woman under discussion and her husband invited their close family members to come to Disney World instead. They had a wonderful party and honeymoon there and they estimated that their families spent one-half of what it would have cost for them to put on an average wedding party.
Her comments seemed unbelievable but checking out the Disney Fantasy Wedding section of the Disney website (disney.go.com/vacations/disneyweddings/index1.html) it was apparent that any couple could make such an event a reality. Disney Wedding Planners based in the United States do all the work associated with the wedding party. They communicate by phone, fax and e-mail with the family hosting the event. Videos and digital photos allow the bride to see every detail of her party from location to flowers. It is possible to hold a marriage party almost anywhere in the Disney Parks. Cinderella’s Castle is a favorite venue, complete with horse-drawn carriage and glass slipper, arranged by the wedding planner. However, the bride is expected to coordinate the appearance of her Prince Charming.
According to the Disney website, no two Disney weddings are alike. Disney hosts both Intimate Weddings, for 10 people or less including the bride and groom, and Custom Weddings for groups of 11 people or more. Intimate Weddings start at $3,869. Custom Weddings require a minimum expenditure of $10,000 for events taking place Friday through Sunday, or $7,500 for events held Monday through Thursday, excluding tax and gratuity. There are also room night and food and beverage minimums. Food and beverage, flowers, decor, music, entertainment, photography services, special transportation, spa services, ceremony site fees, and any other services provided by Disney exclusively for the wedding event will apply toward reaching the minimum expenditure requirement. For specifics, check out the Custom Wedding Requirements or contact a Disney Wedding Planner through the website.
The Disney Wedding Planners need seven days to plan an Intimate Wedding and 30 days to arrange a Custom Wedding. All guests attending a wedding are entitled to discounted rooms at Disney properties and specially priced tickets for entering the parks during their stay.
Disney is not the only venue offering wedding planning services. In researching this subject I found hundreds of possibilities. Some websites state that they have already planned weddings for couples of dozens of different nationalities, including Saudis. Hawaii is a popular wedding destination. Wedhawaii.com specializes in affordable wedding parties and honeymoons in Hawaii. Bluehawaiiweddings.com is a site for help in planning fantasy wedding parties and honeymoons. Many families go to Europe every summer. Why not hold the wedding party there? A good place to start looking at wedding party and honeymoon options in Europe is HeartofEurope.com. Some countries in Europe can be difficult when it comes to requirements for a marriage license but if the marriage formalities are already completed in Saudi Arabia, then hosting the party is just a piece of cake — wedding cake that is!
For a wedding party on the move, consider holding the event on a cruise ship. Princess Cruise Lines (princesscruises.com) is the only company that can offer to host the actual marriage ceremony at sea. Such ceremonies are only hosted on the ship “Grand Princess,” sailing to the Mediterranean and Caribbean. The ship’s captain officiates at the ceremony. Many other cruise lines will host the wedding party and honeymoon. Wedding packages on Norwegian Cruise Line (ncl.com) start at $875. Royal Caribbean International (royalcaribbean.com) offers Royal Romance Weddings for $800. If holding a wedding party on a ship filled with other vacationers is not ideal, then why not charter a yacht? Five Star Charters International Yachts (baydelta.com) offers charters from ports in Greece, Turkey, the French Riviera and other locations.
After the happy couple return from their honeymoon, photos of the party and trip can be posted online for family and friends to share. Just be sure to password protect the digital photo album so it’s not open to the whole world. A final note, most international airlines including Saudia, offer celebration cakes to add an extra surprise for special occasions. At the time of booking seats be sure to request the celebration cake for wedding parties or honeymoon couples traveling on international flights.