Weddings are a big business here in Saudi Arabia. Quite often they are extremely lavish events held in elegant ballrooms where no expense is spared. All of the weddings I have attended here in Jeddah have been segregated functions attended only by women, but I have been told that some people do have mixed gender weddings. There are countless tailors here who will custom make ballgowns. Sometimes the design elements and embellishments are way over the top…
Advertisement
My friend, who lives in KSA, has told me that women really dress for each other since men, except family, never see them. Segregated celebrations are apparently not limited to weddings. It is my understanding that a house party is sometimes a segregated event though it depends largely on the men present or the head of household. Susie what are your experiences with parties aside from weddings?
Hi Lilli – Most of the functions I have been to have been totally segregated, except for the few family gatherings where men and women have mingled. But on those rare occasions, I have had to cover my hair and skin.
wearing fancy gowns on wedding would be fun but i would want my brother so i could tease him whn im bored……..
When you’re used to being in mixed company all your life and then suddenly functions are segregated, it’s quite difficult to get used to…
Pingback: Colorful Evening Gowns « JEDDAH DAILY PHOTO JOURNAL
well the segregation in wedding is for obvious cause
women wear abaya when they are outside
so if we have mixed wedding then women will stay in their abaya and they won’t have fun .
it’s also the same for home party when a girl invite her friends they wear anything they want as any normal girl .
and by the way .. those are too bad dresses 0_0 ill never wear that xD
===========
I’ll complete the wedding story for you
while people start to arrive ,the pride and groom usually with their photographer taking pictures and alone and with their family “as any normal people do”, when they come out they cut their wedding cake ,change their rings place form engaged to married giving gifts and flower to whom there .
while the dining room open , other male family member will join as fathers, brothers ,cousins and they take family photos . dancing all to gather and having fun
at the end it different from family to family but the common things is starting 11 pm ending 5 am . have a loud music “which i hate it ” and some have DJ which i like :p
and women dress like models and some other like clowns in my opinion :p
sorry for the long v.long comment ^^”
Thanks, Tamy!
Man! Those cloths looks like a carnival costume in Rio!
Over the top is right!! I would miss having my husband with me at a wedding. It just wouldn’t be the same.
Judy, husbands are part of the wedding!
In all honesty, the weddings I have been to have been as follows: Arrive at the wedding between 11pm -midnight. Check your abaya and scarves at the desk, get searched for cameras, and take a seat in the extravagant wedding hall. There are women only dressed in exquisite ballgowns. Music is blaring so loud that the glasses on the tables shake. There are munchies, like chocolates, nuts, cookies, etc., at the tables. Some women go up to the catwalk (which leads from the stage out into the hall amidst the tables) and dance up and down. Other women watch. Servers bring around fruit juices. At about 3am, women begin to scramble to get their abayas and scarves on. The lights are dimmed and there’s a big introduction of the bride, who appears with her groom from up above. They walk down the stairs with the spotlights on them, walk down the catwalk to the stage, which has been decorated with a fancy seating area with lots of flowers. They sit, and then the dining room is opened and everyone makes a mad dash for the food banquet in the adjoining hall. I don’t know what happens to the bride and groom at this point. But after we eat, we leave (by about 4-5am). Every single wedding I have been to has been like this. The groom was visible for maybe ten minutes, and I have never met either the bride or the groom. So even though he is a part of it and so is the bride, as a guest at their wedding, to me they play a very minor part in the evening.
So it’s allowed to show some skin at weddings?
Dina – There is lots of skin showing at weddings here, but this is at totally segregated weddings so it’s only women present.
Wait, so if this is one of the few opportunities for women to dress up, do they maybe actually prefer gender-separated weddings?
I don’t know that it’s a matter of preference at all. It’s just the way things are done here. I think the women are so used to being segregated from the men that they think they prefer it that way because they don’t know any other way.
I’m assuming these are the over-the-top versions!
Definitely, Sharon – definitely!
Very elaborate, elegant gowns! It would certainly be more fun if all the friends and family could attend the wedding together, both men and women!
I agree, Leif – the segregation of the sexes here is one of the things I dislike the most.