American Girl in Jordan: Arabic Weddings

Anyone can have more fun at an Arabic wedding than at any nightclub in America. And there is no liquor! Just crazy, sober fun! Arabic weddings make American weddings look like a snooze fest. There are many differences between the Arabic wedding and American wedding traditions. Here is a quick list of five things about Arabic weddings off the top of my head.

1. The groom and his family pay for the wedding, dowry, and the honeymoon. He may even pay for the engagement party, but I am not sure. The groom and bride may live with his parents for years before he can afford his own home. What a trade-off for a bride to get the wedding of her dreams, eh?

2. The dowry is for the bride only. It usually is in the form of beautifully ornate gold jewelry. This is "her" money, to be used by her alone. It is her safety net if anything should happen in the future.

3. On the wedding day, the bride and her family wait at home for her groom to fetch her and take her to the wedding hall. This tradition signifies the groom taking the bride from her parents house to his home to be his partner for life.

4. The legal aspect of the marriage is completed before the engagement party, but the marriage is not consummated until after the wedding party.

5. Most weddings begin with the men and women in separate rooms. This is so the ladies can uncover their hair and dress sexy if they want to. When it is time for the men to join the ladies, these women recover their hair and bodies.

****Please note that if there are any mistakes that I have made in my understanding of Arabic weddings, just blame the _______ American girl!

The bride was my husband's cousin.

While the Bride waits for her groom, the family begins the dancing fun and celebration.

At the wedding hall, the dancing starts with the bride and groom dancing together. I am sorry that I cannot post the picture, because the bride does not have her jacket on or her hijab.