Mohammed Al Arabi, an Egyptian expatriate, paid about QR150,000 last year when he booked a five-star hotel in Doha for his marriage. His cousin had spent around QR60,000 for his marriage when he booked the same hotel in 2009.
“Initially my budget was about QR100,000, including all expenses — wedding dresses, dowry and jewellery. But I was shocked to learn that QR100,000 was the charge for the hotel’s services only.
“I had almost decided to cancel the ceremony,” said Al Arabi. “I enquired with other hotels but the quotes were almost similar with only a few pluses or minuses.
“It was only with the help of my office colleagues, family and friends that we finally managed to host the ceremony,” he added.
Expatriates born and brought up in Qatar or who have stayed here for a long time, prefer to get married in Qatar because of their well-established social network. They have more friends here than back home.
“We can save money by organising a wedding ceremony in our country but many of our friends would miss it. There is no joy in a ceremony if our close friends are not part of it,” said an Asian expatriate.
Figures collected from market sources show that marriage ceremony costs have shot up 10-fold in the past eight years.
A moderate expat wedding, with around 200 guests, cost about QR6,000 in 2006. Now it is QR60,000.
Wedding planners and hotels blame the rising wedding costs on inflation.
Real estate prices, transportation costs and other commercial expenses have also gone up and forced them to hike their charges, they argue.
Apart from expenses on wedding ceremonies, there are other costs expatriates need to bear such as medical tests for couples and registration fees at their embassies.
Another reason which discourages expatriates from tying the knot in Qatar is the high cost of living. Currently, if an expat wants to sponsor his spouse, he needs to have a salary of QR10,000 a month or more.
Qataris are also impacted by the rising wedding costs, but the government is taking steps to mitigate their situation.
Authorities are building marriage halls across the country for Qataris to use them for free.
The government is also creating awareness among citizens about the need to opt for moderate weddings.
