JEDDAH: The Charity Society for Simplifying Marriage and Family Care of Ahsa honored two brides who demanded the lowest dowry, with a cash award of SR15,000, in a mass wedding function in the Eastern Province on Monday evening.

Al-Ahsa Gov. Prince Badr bin Jalawi attended the function in which 420 brides and grooms — the largest number so far — participated.

The event aims to contribute toward a sound basis to start stable families.

The events of the day included a grooms’ march accompanied by folk songs and performances with audience interaction. The youngest groom with the lowest dowry was a youth with special needs. There were also prize draws for household utensils and gold jewelry.

Nasser Al-Nuaem, chairman of the society, said mass marriages promote the values of cooperation and social solidarity between different social categories in the Kingdom. They also clearly signify the commitment of business establishments and their owners to the responsibility toward their fellow citizens, he added.

Adel Al-Khoufi, director-general of the charity, said the event registered a 400 percent leap in the number of couples compared to the last three years.

“The current celebration underscored the bold step we have taken since the last two years, as we did not keep any couple in the waiting list,” he said.

The society has so far organized 13 mass marriages, which benefitted 1,904 young men and women, at a total cost of SR13,880,000 since its humble beginning 10 years ago. A total of 40 men and women had participated in the first collective marriage.

Al-Khoufi said that Monday’s mass marriage was the largest of all the 13 events the society has arranged in the Eastern Province.