1,200 youth tie knot at Jeddah mass wedding

JEDDAH: On behalf of Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Jeddah Gov. Prince Mishaal bin Majed patronized a mass wedding involving 1,200 brides and grooms at the Jeddah Convention Center on Wednesday evening.
A large number of prominent figures, including officials, preachers, singers, poets, artists, and businessmen as well as 600 bridegrooms and their relatives and friends participated in the 14th mass wedding festival organized by the Charity Society for Marriage and Family Guidance, Jeddah.
A variety of cultural programs were also staged on the occasion.
The ceremony started with a folk performance. Bassam Ashraf Shalbi, a boy, recited verses from the Holy Qur’an and that was followed by the presentation of a poem by Abdul Rahman Al-Ashmawi and an opera by a group of artists, both titled “Marriage is Trust.”
Speaking on the occasion, judge at the Appeals Court in Makkah Region Sheikh Abdullah Al-Othaim, who is also chairman of the society, thanked the society’s Honorary Chairman Prince Khaled Al-Faisal and Prince Mishaal for their great care and support to make the mass wedding ceremony a grand annual festival in Jeddah. He wished the new brides and grooms a happy and prosperous married life.
Sheikh Al-Othaim said the society’s mass wedding program received tremendous support from all sections of the society as it aims to ease the burden on members of society who are struggling to meet the huge wedding costs. He lauded the great role played by some sections of the society, especially businessmen, as well as government and private departments and agencies in making the society’s program a great success.
He especially thanked Hadiya bint Abdul Latif Jameel for her financial support to furnish the houses of the newly married couples, Nesma Company, one of the main partners of the festival, Mohammed Yousuf Naghi Motors Company, which presented cars for draw winners, Saudi Research & Marketing Group, and Suleiman Al-Rajhi Charity Foundation and other sponsors.
Prizes were distributed to winners of the society’s first edition of the social media awareness competition held as part of spreading the message of the society’s mass wedding program. Karim Al-Shabl bagged first place worth a cash prize of SR30,000 while Zaina Ishaq and Ahmad Taher won second (SR20,000) and third (SR10,000) prizes respectively. Among the bridegrooms, there were five winners in the car draw. Sponsors, partners and supporters of the festival were also honored during the function.
Speaking to Arab News, Muhammad Al-Ghamdi, a 26-year-old bridegroom, thanked all those who extended support to realize his dream of starting a married life. “I am expressing my deep gratitude to the Charity Society for Marriage and Family Guidance and many philanthropists and members of the society for their support that helped the dreams of 1,200 young men and women come true,” he said.
Al-Ghamdi, an employee at an IT company in Jeddah who draws a monthly salary of nearly SR3,000, said the society extended financial support to the newly married couples in addition to holding a three-day training program aimed at tackling family problems and leading a happily married life. The society has married off 6,670 men and women in mass wedding festivals held during the past few years.