BAHA, 10 August 2007 — Many young men and women wish to get married, but being in a financial straightjacket many are dissuaded from taking that route. However, communal weddings, which are extremely cheap and a great way for people to get married, is an option that remains open to many.
However, some people feel negatively about the prospect of getting married jointly with other couples and would rather celebrate their special day by themselves regardless of what the cost may be.
In a report published in Al-Watan, men seem to be more ready to marry jointly, while women say they would like to have special marriages to commemorate the biggest day of their lives.
Saad Muhammad, a single Saudi, said he would not mind the prospect of marrying in a communal wedding with other prospective husbands and wives. “It’d be great to have a communal wedding. I think people need to support and encourage such brilliant initiatives. They help unite the community, I think,” he said.
His friend, Saeed Saleh, agreed. “Some families have welcomed these weddings since they’re a solution to the financial problems faced by many couples, who cannot afford marriage expenses.”
“Although these ceremonies have paved the way for many couples to get married without taking out large loans, many women don’t like the idea. They say that wedding is a special thing that has to be unique and carefully planned,” said Ghormallah Al-Zahrani.
Ibtisam, another single Saudi girl, said that many young women do not want to participate in these ceremonies because they fear criticism and want to keep up appearances. Her friend, Sharifa, said she would not mind marrying in a communal way and sharing her happiness with other brides.
Sadia Salih, a Saudi housewife, said she also does not like the idea of getting married in joint weddings. “People attend wedding ceremonies only to observe and criticize. In such wedding, brides that aren’t exactly pretty are left in difficult situations when compared to other brides. Ordinary marriages are better where the focus is only on one bride,” she said.
Khaled Saad, a science student, said: “I would never ever participate in such a wedding. They are for the poor, those who can’t afford typical wedding ceremonies. They’re mainly unorganized and have many problems.”
Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Al-Aas, the chairman of the Al-Bir Charity that holds many such weddings, said: “The major problem faced by many youth when getting married is the very high marriage expenses, including the dowries and the wedding parties. These expenses could cause some youth to delay their weddings or reject the concept of marriage all together. These simple parties, however, solve the problem of many people.”