Wedding costs makes this Emirati man wary of marriage

Musabeh M, 31, says most of his friends are already married, but he is not thinking about joining them quite yet.

This is not because he does not want to - or because his family are not encouraging him - but because Musabeh is worried about the cost involved.

"It might cost me a minimum of Dh500,000 for the dowry and wedding preparations, and I need to find a place to live," he said.

"When I think about the future, I see it will be a problem for me."

He believes women nowadays have changed - they "see more and they want more".

"We have an open culture now, women are able to go wherever and do whatever. That is affecting our culture," he said.

"Now women want a lot of things that were in the past not part of our lives."

Modern life has become too easy, partly due to technology, Musabeh said, and people get bored too easily as a result.

"I once saw a man and his wife staring at their phone for over an hour, without having a conversation," he said. "No wonder there is a hole in our lives. We are unable to converse now."

He believes finding a wife will not be easy, but he hopes to find the girl of his dreams.

"I want a wife who is lively, funny and optimistic," he said. "I want her to be knowledgeable and to be able to have meaningful conversations with me."

And if he cannot find her, then his family will have to find her for him.