Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, attended a wedding reception at Al Manhal Majlis for 20 grooms on Thursday.
It was the second of two mass weddings, organised by the Crown Prince Court, in the past two days.
For six years, the Crown Prince Court has been organising mass weddings in Emirati neighbourhoods to ease the financial pressure faced by young couples.
A 2017 study by Zayed University found the average cost of an Emirati wedding, including male and female wedding parties, engagement party and dowries to be around Dh683,000. Most of this is covered by the groom's family.
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In the early 2000s the Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed, limited dowries to a maximum of Dh50,000 for Emiratis. Dh20,000 of this is to be paid in advance when registering the marriage, and the Dh30,000 would be paid in case of divorce. By limiting the figure, it was hoped weddings would no longer financially burden young couples.
Also in attendance of Thursday's mass wedding were Sheikh Tahnoun bin Mohammed, Abu Dhabi Ruler’s Representative in Al Ain Region; Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation; Sheikh Theyab bin Zayed; Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, Minister of Tolerance; Ahmed Al Zaabi, Minister of the Federal Supreme Council at the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, and other officials and guests.
The event featured folklore, heritage performances and dances.
