Wedding Bells...The Qatari Way

I wish I could give you the lowdown first hand regarding Qatari weddings, but no can do. It's on my "before I leave Doha" list. What I can tell you is that they really do know how to go all out and decorate for one. Nearly every weekend here at the pink villas, our "ball room" in the clubhouse is transformed into a palace setting. We have to traipse through the lobby to get to the gym, so we catch a glimpse of the frenzy of workers preparing for the weekly events. This week while walking through, I decided enough was enough and went back to the villa to get my camera to capture the scene. Since, I don't know much about the Qatari wedding process, I Googled it and came up with a colorful discussion on the Qatar Living website. The descriptions varied, but the fact that the women and men have their own separate unique celebration is evident.

Qatar Living "Qatari Wedding" forum

Who marries whom?

It is my understanding that Qatari men are allowed to marry non Qatari women and those women receive the benefits bestowed upon Qatari women. Qatari women, however lose their home country benefits if they marry a non Qatari man. Note: Non Qatari women are not necessarily accepted by the Qatari groom's family, as tradition plays a great role in this country.

Also, weddings are still arranged in Qatar for monetary and political means, however I understand that many times the marriage candidates have a say so in the selection process. Intermingling of unrelated Qatari males and females is not allowed, but I get the impression that the Internet, text messaging and the many social networking applications available have opened the door for communications, proper or not.

Keep in mind, this is my take on the subject. Anyone with corrections or different opinions, please share, as we are all here to learn.

To read comments, please click on the thoughts box above. Thanks!