DM Monitoring
KUWAIT CITY: Abdullah Al-Sulaimani, a 28-year-old Kuwaiti man, finally got married a few days ago as his wedding ceremony had been postponed for several months under the anti-coronavirus restrictions.
Al-Sulaimani’s wedding was held at his house with the presence of just a few family members, in order to follow the health measures set by the government.
A teacher in a public school, Al-Sulaimani told Xinhua that his wedding should have been held in April, but was postponed several times because of the pandemic.
“The coronavirus was not going to vanish soon, and so we decided to have a small wedding and postpone the honeymoon until the pandemic is over,” he said.
Kuwait has banned many types of social gatherings, including weddings, to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus since its outbreak.
The government has lifted a nationwide curfew on Aug. 30, while activities, including celebrations, parties, weddings, gatherings, banquets and funerals, will remain restricted to control the infectious disease.
The restrictions forced many young Kuwaitis to hold a small and simple wedding ceremony instead of a lavish one that Kuwaitis used to have.
Mahmoud Ali, an Egyptian man, organized a small wedding for his daughter at his apartment in Kuwait’s Salwa area, while the rest of the family and friends attended the celebration via video from Egypt and other countries.
Before the pandemic, a regular wedding party costs about 15,000 Kuwaiti dinars (49,000 U.S. dollars) on average, including decorations, the band, and the buffet.
It will cost more if famous singers are invited and wedding planners hired.
“The coronavirus has brought us back to the time of simplicity, away from unnecessary expenses,” Al-Sulaimani noted.
Meanwhile, wedding halls have suffered a lot as a result of the cancelling of celebrations since March.
Omar Nahid, a party planner, told the media that he refunded all reservation payments because of the cancellation.
Fawzia Rashid, a Kuwaiti woman, said she preferred to postpone her daughter’s wedding and hold it until after the end of the coronavirus crisis.
“It is a one-day celebration in a lifetime and I think it is the best decision to postpone it.”
