New UAE poll to show why couples should keep weddings simple even after Covid-19

Dubai - The study will look into the experiences of young couples who got married without any fanfare from January to June this year.

With the Covid-19 pandemic restricting gatherings and wreaking havoc on personal budgets, couples have been tying the knot this year without all the extravagance associated with such once-in-a-lifetime affair. Now, the country's Ministry of Community Development (MoCD) is working on a new study which aims to show that marriages can succeed - even without lavish ceremonies.
Aiming to sustain the shift towards simple, intimate weddings the MoCD is conducting a community study called 'The Pros of Completing Marriage Without Wedding Ceremonies'. It will look into the experiences of young couples who got married without any fanfare from January to June this year and take the pulse of the community on this 'new normal' trend.
Last month, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, congratulated an Emirati couple who got married in a simple function. Since the pandemic struck, there were also others who beat the odds and tied the knot via Zoom. 
Gathering insights on such practical weddings will be an opportunity to encourage all future brides and grooms to cut costs, rationalise consumption, and turn ceremony expenses into more meaningful goals for the family, said Wahida Khalil Darwish, director of Marriage Grants Department at the MoCD. 
All community members are invited to share their views and participate in the e-survey (https://msurvey.government.ae/survey/MSA/cnX/).
Darwish added that while the survey is open to everyone, it will mainly focus on the youth group. The MoCD will be coordinating with universities and colleges, as well as youth councils, to ensure that the study will reflect the insights of young people across the country. 
The poll will have 18 questions, which were put together to gauge "the impact of marriage sought without wedding ceremonies, and the possibility of continuing this approach in the context of keeping up with current circumstances", the ministry said. 
It will then shed light on the positive aspects of getting married without grand ceremonies in terms of: happiness of spouses, happiness of family and relatives, happiness of friends and acquaintances, reducing the costs of marriage. It will also measure how such marriages meet preventive measures and help spread the culture of rational consumption. 
reporters@khaleejtimes.com