Qatari Wedding

Qatari Weddings are fun. I have been to 23 weddings on my last count. I love it. It's an amazing culture. Try and take a friend with you. And be prepared to dance. Just kidding. You will not be allowed to take your phone, and be prepared to eat lots of nice food.

Have fun.

I know a girl who went to a Qatari wedding. She said it got heated because apparently a lot of them turned up with the same outfit on. Very embarassing.

I thought it was a bit boring.     Beautiful decorations (heard they cost 60,000QR) , tables, lots of sweets.   However it got started very very late  (left at11:00pm, dinner had not started)   Out of 300 women in the room I only saw I dress that I liked.   Most were garish and hideously gaudy.   Lots of Bright bright colors, feathers, sequins, etc.    TONS of makeup on.    They had a runway and a couple of women played the drums and wailed Arabic songs rather loudly.   Girls would get up and dance down the runway (so the older women could check them out as possible daugher-in-law contenders I've been told)

Finally the lights went down about 10:00 the fog and light show started--sort of like a rock concert!   The bride then came out and walked very slowly down the runway.    Eventually people came up and showered her head with money.  She looked scared to death.  I learned she was 20 years old and had never met her husband-to-be, but had talked to him on the phone.

No cameras allowed of course.   The women arrived wearing abayas and covered, but threw them off and checked each other out.    After the bride's walk,   I left, but I heard later that  the women put on the abayas so that the groom & father/father-in-laws could come and walk down the runway too.

from my experience, no matter how flamboyantly u dress up, its NOTHING compared to the Qatari ladies there. god, they r all so gorgeous, and their way of dressing up is amazing. cant afford (lol) ;))

abt the gift, no u dont take a gift to the wedding. usually i visit them few days after the wedding, n give a gift.

wat happens during a weddin? well, make sure u sit away from the loudspeakers placed at all corners of the hall :-)) u can dance if u want, to the arabic songs being played there. hhhmmm,, n the food part, its yummy. u can starve for a few days after that to lose all those calories earned on that one evenin:-)

its fun, ENJOY!!

PS: oh yeah, like many others mentioned above, dont click any snaps. n thats if ever they let u carry ur mobile phone inside. usually they hold it at the entrance. so be prepared to be disconnected from the rest of the world for the few hours u spent there..

Unfortunately, I have found Qatari weddings to be a bit depressing... I have yet to see it as a joyous occassion... I have been to a few in the last few months, and have been very disappointed. 

The ladies seem to be competing with each other in the dress department, and so some outfits are very outlandish...

There seems to be so much politics amongs the different groups of ladies sitting at the tables, you know.. this group doesn't like that group, or this part of the family feel snubbed for some reason....

The bride ALWAYS looks terrified and a bit like a geisha girl for all the make- up on her face.  I really feel sorry for her.  One of the brides I saw, took about 30 min to walk down the isle in front of us as I don't think she could move with the dress she was wearing....  

And you are right about the mobile thing... I had mine with me in the hall (it had been with me the whole night... I had to answer a phone call, and all of a sudden my phone was snatched out of my hand by a waitress....  I was furious..... the brides mother was horrified that the waitress had done that when I told her, and she returned my phone to me.....

Its sad actually, I have a number of male Qatari friends, and they all tell me that they would prefer it if the bride would rather just take the money and they could spend it on a house or something... but no, she would rather have a ridiculously expensive party, which he has to pay for for years to come....

"if you don't like the heat... get out of the kitchen... but stop trying to fan the flames before you leave... it will burn you on the a** as you go through the doorway...." ME

visit www.qatarpets.org

a lot of what the girls wear at the weddings make it look like a tranvestities convention....

the decor can be very Rocky Horror Show meets La Cage Aux Folles

but its a good laugh and you get to stuff your face with chocolate.

food is same same same .........

But Xena has a point...last one i went to the bride was in floods of tears.

A lot of what happens, music, clothes etc depends very much on the family... there are subtle and interesting nuances.

How lovely for you to have been invited to share in such an important family event.  Here is some information which may be helpful to you:

Dress :  a long evening dress is suitable with perhaps a wrap over your shoulders which you can take off inside when you are comfortable.  Bear in mind that when you arrive there will be lots of men outside droppping off ladies so it is more respec tful to be a little more covered until you are in.

Phones:  usually local women do not wish to be photographed and for this reason you will be requested to leave any camera at the door to be collected on your departure.  So best to take a phone with no camera as they are usually allowed in.

Gift :  It is not necessary for you to take a gift to the wedding.  If you wish to give a gift then you can give it beforehand via the person who gave you the invitation. 

Partners in crime or going solo? : It is acceptable for you to  take a friend as you said you will not know anyone there.

The Evening : I would not usually go before 9pm.  However for your husband he should go earlier...say 8pm.  When you enter there will be two lines of people on opposite sides of the entrance.  They are the family of the bride and groom.  You should take the time to shake their hands and say 'Mabrouk' (congratulations).  Best to say it to everyone around that area.  No-one will mind if you say it to someone you shouldn't!  They'll just smile. 

Dinner can be served as late as midnight.  Typically there will be pre-dinner snacks on the table or served as well as cold drinks, sweet tea without milk and Arabic coffee (kahwa).  Smoking would be considered rude to the family at their special event.  There will be no alcohol served. 

The music will be loud so take note of the speakers and position yourself according to your taste!  The bride will come in and walk along a sort of catwalk to a special seating area for her and perhaps her groom later.  Vidoes, photos will be taken throughout the evening of the bride sitting o her special seat. She does not move from there until the groom comes for her later in the evening.

Some people may dance.  Usually it is relatives of the bride and groom and the younger girls up there but anyone's welcome to give it a go!  Family members dancing and the bride hersef will be showered with money notes.

There will be a signal that men are entering the room and you will see lots of women cover up.  The groom will enter with father and brothers of the bride and maybe some little boys of the families.  More photos, video, and then the men will leave the bride and groom to have photos taken with the mother of the groom.

After this it will be late and it will be announced that dinner will be served.  This will be service at the table or a buffet.  You can leave after dinner.  Try to find the mothers of the bride and groom to say thank you (sucran) and mabrouk again.

Exit!

I hope you have a lovely time and appreciate that it will be a different cultural  experience from what you are used to but one to be respected for the differences you will find!!!

Have a lovely evening

peace _______________________________________________________

Love is the answer...

The wedding is actually a reception.  The religious part of it is done very privately with close family members.  The couple will have signed their wedding contract previously and prayers will have been said at the mosque and homes.

peace _______________________________________________________

Love is the answer...

diamondgirl...videos?

Are Video & Photos of the Bride taken? I thought it was not allowed, If so then why do they dont allow camera-phones?

nice topic for women.... to throw their insight (and envy too) on other women

must be having highest redership and response too

Just go there... greet them and share their happiness with them. It doesnt matter if you know them or not, they will make you feel welcome with their open arms and hearts.

Every culture is different and plz dont get off if you find something that is different from your own culture... all cultures should be respected and enjoyed... :)

Enjoy and plz keep us posted.. lol

Regards...

DJ

So none of the brides of the wedding you were invited too looks beautiful??

Sorry to hear it was boring tess.

But don't let one wedding put you off.. I've been to loads of Arab weddings and most of them have been good fun.

Maryum : Umm Hasan bint Abdullah Alshabrawishi

babatee ... beware with the school fees. Good english school will cost you 7500 QR a term and go up 10 percents min yearly.

Sorry Tess, I did warn you.... 

"if you don't like the heat... get out of the kitchen... but stop trying to fan the flames before you leave... it will burn you on the a** as you go through the doorway...." ME

visit www.qatarpets.org

about 2 weeks ago...I had the absolute time of my life!

Since it was such a wonderful affair, I did dress up fairly fancy, and took a friend who was also invited. We couldn't get there early but showed up about 2 hours into the wedding. The music was loud, but after adjusting to that, the base beat of the drums really gets into you, making your shoulders just move of their own accord. The people were so generous and friendly and the dresses of the women, both old and young were such a sight to behold. The dancing on the catwalk was done with total enjoyment and the young ladies have such a wonderful sense of rhythmn. My friend that invited me, even asked that I join them on the catwalk and I did...her mother came up and rained money down upon my head as they do to the other dancers. It was such fun!!

It was interesting to watch the ladies watching the young single women...and I can't help but wonder if they were thinking down the road as to when their sons needed wives, would they like this one or that one...etc...I, personally would have had a horrible time choosing because they all looked so beautiful and happy.

The ladies makeup was quite a bit more dramatic than usual, but then again, it was a big social event and a wedding, so they needed to be all dolled up. Its just quite different than what we do back home, but ohh so interesting to attend and feel totally honored to be thought of enough to get an invitation to such a family event.

Even when the groom and his male family members came in, the bride was still all smiles, GENUINE smiles....and they looked entirely happy together. I can understand how some folks said the bride looked scared or unhappy, if indeed they are, but in this case, she was positively beaming! Of course, knowing the one family member that I do, if her brother is anything like her, the bride is one very lucky woman, indeed!!

I wouldn't hesitate in the least if ever offered an invitation to a Qatari wedding again. Nor would I hesitate to dance the catwalk or offer up the money for the dancers. (would just have to figure out the protocol, first so I don't make a total jerk of myself in public!) So...if any of you are offered the opportunity to attend a Qatari wedding...GO!!! Its an honor and a priviledge and its just plain FUN!!

Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. --Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865)

...if given serious thoughts..

Because of the environment of my work, I've been asked the question so many
time about attending a wedding and all what is mentioned here is true.

I always tip them with have a nape before going to the wedding, if it was on
Thursday; or sleep late on Friday/Saturday. Especially if the guest is invited
by the groom and/or family; it is kind of impolite to leave the wedding before
the groom’s attendance.

I’ve been invited to a wedding by the bride’s family and she didn’t come
before midnight.

It is kind of rude if you danced before any of the bride’s/groom’s family. They
have to open the dance floor. Sometimes the bride’s best friends may start the
dancing, but it is better if the family starts first.

The money throwing part is like throwing sugar/salt/rice in the forging
weddings.

In the Cookies of Life, FRIENDS are the Chocolate Chips

I always think it is rather rude for people who have been invited to an occasion to leave at the first available opportunity. Perhaps you might consider staying for the evening and trying to get to know a few people and experience some local customs. It is generous of the man to extend an invitation to you at what is mainly a family event and you should act accordingly.

Clothing should be formal. A suit and tie if that is your normal formal attire. Try not to take your jacket off during the evening.

Accept and consume food and drink with the right hand. When being served kahwa (Arabic coffee) if you have had enough return the cup holding your hand over the top and shake it slightly from side to side. This indicates that you do not want a refill. Drink the kahwa while eating something sweet as it has quite a bitter taste. If you are eating dinner with your hand, you must wash your hands after you have finished. If you do not, you will be considered dirty. Do not blow your nose near anyone. If you have to blow your nose (use your left hand), use the bathroom or go outside.

When you sit avoid pointing the sole of your foot towards anyone. Many are offended by this.

Leaving without having dinner is rude. No-one will say anything to you but everyone will think you have no manners and you are disrespecting the father who invited you to his family wedding. People will start to leave shortly after dinner. At this point you can thank the father and son and congratulate them and make your exit.

If you have any more questions I will be happy to help.

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.. I was only asking about how long to stay as I have heard conflicting reports from my colleagues. I also thought to have a stranger hanging about might be a bit embarrassing for all concerned, especially as I only speak a tiny amount of Arabic.

One last question if I may - am I to give money? Mention has been made about "showering" with money. Or is only at the ladies event?

thanks again, invaluable advice.

as read abt all these nice ppl's comments, i think it's not much difference from a Pakistan wedding.

... I'm really excited about it. It will now be so much more enjoyable, thanks to all the advice provided.

I'll report back on my experience!!

So glad you enjoyed the experience. You're quite right...taking pictures is fine for the men. Ah yes, the sword dance. I just love the singing and dancing that comes along with that *swoon*. Although I don't go to men's weddings (!) I watch the DVD aftwerwards. Always ooks like a great evening :) I'm sure you were well fed too.

It would be a good idea to bring a friend along next time.

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You should indicate verbally that you intend to attend.

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Just went to a male side walima, was kinda cool. They did a sword dance to the beat of drums.

Food was good too. Was nice to be invited to a wedding, was very lavish and... well lavish.