Why some Saudi couples welcomed the pandemic

THE COST of a typical Saudi wedding is enough to deter the most passionate lover. Even a modest party involves renting a sumptuous ballroom and inviting hundreds of guests. The bridal dais should be fit for royalty; the cake must have many tiers. Then there are the swordsmen, cheerleaders and musicians. Men and women gather in separate halls, doubling some of the prices. Altogether it might cost 200,000 riyals ($53,000), though rich Saudis will pay four times that just to hire the top crooners. Many of these marriages will end in divorce. Those that don’t are often burdened with debt. “Seven years into my marriage and I’m still paying off bank loans for a two-hour bash,” says Rayan al-Sameiri, a teacher in Medina who also works as a taxi-driver.