Hey guys!!! So excited for you to watch the first episode of my first-ever directed web show.
The whole experience documenting my journey was fun, yet SO exhausting…so Kudos to those who do reality TV for a living.
It was really difficult getting my fiance on board with the whole process as he is a very private person. Me on the other hand, I LOVE documenting things, being involved in the creative process of creating content that will educate, entertain and enlighten my community, and in this case, it happens to be on the Arab wedding culture.
Key points to take from this episode:
There are many different traditions across the Arab countries. For example, where you are from in Lebanon will determine who pays for the wedding but usually, the wedding expense is paid by the groom and his family for Lebanese Christians and Shia Muslims.
Arabs have so many wedding events! So, it’s crucial to plan ahead. For instance, in Michigan, there is literally a wedding every single weekend making it crucial for the bride to book everything way in advance. I live in Las Vegas so I struggled finding a venue due to all the conventions that take place in Las Vegas and not weddings.
Being that I was raised in the UAE, I am accustomed to Big Arab lavish weddings while Samir is more accustomed to smaller weddings, or as he states in this episode, no wedding at all. He is literally just throwing it for me. A big part of it is the fact that he has practically lived in the USA his entire life. In the USA, marriage is celebrated, however, not forced upon or emphasized as much as it is in the Arab world.
Here are a few Arab Marriage Facts For You:
- Average Arab divorce rate: Jordan ranking the highest with 2.6 per 1,000 residents
- Average age of married couple is: According to UNICEF, 1 out of 5 girls in the MENA region are married before they reach the age of 18.
- Wedding guests in the Gulf will need to set an average annual budget of $5,500 to attend four weddings, according to a new study commissioned by American Express Middle East.
- On Average, Arabs spend between $100,00 – $300,000 on weddings with Lavish weddings reaching up to 3 million dollars.
