Wedding bells are not chiming for many. From flowers to wedding halls, the cost of getting hitched is making it difficult for many families to cater for the day of their dreams.

Young couples are now calling upon authorities to help lower and monitor the rental prices of wedding halls.

Wedding costs have skyrocketed, particularly during the Eid Al-Fitr holiday, when most couples around the Kingdom tie the knot to take advantage of the holiday season and then continue with wedding celebrations.

Wedding halls charge anywhere between SR20,000 to SR70,000 a night, prompting residents to demand that authorities regulate fees based on services and venue classifications.

Groom-to-be Hussain Taleb described the process as being a reverse auction, in which halls owners compete to raise prices.

“Such costs are driving more young people to take out loans, starting their new lives in debt,” Taleb told Arab News.

Abdul Rahman Khaled said owners are asking for exorbitant prices after luring couples with bogus advertisements.

“They even refuse to negotiate their prices. This has caused many couples to avoid getting married altogether because not everybody has the money,” Khaled said.

Majed Al-Zahrani said wedding halls give varying prices to costumers thanks to high demand.

“I call upon hall owners to take these young people’s financial situation into account and lower their prices,” he said.