Emiratis set to marry commend benefits of Dubai wedding project

▶ Programme offers citizens incentives to help reduce costs, including planning services and venues

Emiratis have welcomed a programme introduced in Dubai to encourage young UAE citizens to get married, calling it a beneficial move.

The Dubai Wedding Programme offers citizens incentives to help reduce wedding costs, including marriage planning services and venues for parties.

Family counselling for newlyweds will also be provided, as well as marriage planning, family management and financial advice.

Dubai’s Community Development Authority said it aimed to reduce the financial burden on citizens.

Alia Mohammed, 24, from Dubai, said she would welcome the idea of joining the programme if her future husband wanted to apply for it.

“This is a great initiative for us young Emiratis, as we see a lot of young men postpone getting married fearing debts and pressure,” she said.

“This is the perfect solution to promote marriage and help newlyweds in Dubai.

“I’ve heard some stories about grooms getting in debt because of large and luxurious weddings. They spend years of their lives paying for it.”

Traditional weddings are a grand affair, with some lasting for days. But Ms Mohammed said she had noticed a shift in attitudes towards weddings after the pandemic, with many opting for smaller ceremonies rather than lavish ones.

“Pre-Covid, there were many luxurious and large weddings with guests exceeding 500 to 800 people,” she said.

“But now people are starting to arrange their weddings at home or in an outdoor setting, such as in a tent with a more classic and minimalist design where they would invite only family and close friends.”

Manahil Elarki, an event planner from Sudan who has lived in the UAE for two decades, believes the main issue faced by couples when planning their wedding is trying to manage the budget.

“It usually does not have a big impact, but I’ve handled newlyweds who were emotionally affected to a point where they feel sad due to the high expenses,” Ms Elaraki told The National.

“Eventually, no matter how much I try to reduce it, some of the services remain unaffordable.”

Ms Elarki, who lives in Abu Dhabi, said that since the pandemic it has been rare for a wedding to have a guest list of more than 1,000 people.

“After many regulations were enforced by authorities to reduce guests at events for safety, many residents started accepting the idea of having a more relaxed ceremony,” she said

“Which brings the idea of having to pay less for everything wedding-related, which means they then save on money to help with life after the wedding.”

The amount of money spent on a wedding depends on the family’s traditions.

“Currently an ideal wedding with 150 to 200 guests can range from Dh35,000 [$9,500] to Dh100,000, depending on the design and additional services,” Ms Elarki said.

Muna Alblooshi, 27, who is from Ajman and lives in Abu Dhabi, praised the counselling and educational services offered by the programme.

“I think it’s really important for people to understand how they can budget for their weddings,” she said.

“What I notice from most of the weddings that take place is that people tend to focus on entertainment and other unnecessary things that cost more than Dh50,000.

“Sometimes the groom has to take a loan from the bank to cover these expenses.”

Ms Alblooshi, who got married last year, said she felt the financial pressures of planning the wedding.

“Sudden and unexpected expenses came up even a few days before the ceremony.

“Our wedding had more than 200 guests, so you can only imagine the food costs, wedding hall sizes and other expenses,” she said.

Counselling for newlyweds will also be provided, as well as family management and financial advice