750 couples wed at mass ceremony

JEDDAH, 26 July — Some 750 Saudi couples  exchanged their marriage vows yesterday at a colorful ceremony in the presence of Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed and other high-ranking officials.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

The mass wedding, organized by a charitable project for helping youths get married, was held at the old airport grounds in Sharafiya. Abdul Mohsen Al-Khayyal, supervisor of the program, said the wedding of the 1,500 youths would cost SR15 million.

He said the amount included financial assistance and donations in kind. Since its formation, the charity organization has helped 21,000 youths to get married, he said, adding that the organization had spent more than SR200 million on these marriages.