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Wedding traditions of Riyadh

The capital of Saudi Arabia, where the wedding is a night of women's gatherings, gold gifts and a groom's separate party.

Najdi weddings are family affairs held in halls with separate areas for men and women. The groom's family pays the mahr and large wedding costs, and the government has encouraged lower costs and group weddings. The ardah, a sword dance, may be performed by men.

Riyadh: Riyadh Skyline is growing. Dated February 2018
Photo: B.alotaby, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A wedding here

The wedding party for women is the big event of the night, with the bride entering in a white dress after music and a coffee service. Men meet in a separate hall for a meal of kabsa or mandi and coffee. Before the day the bride is adorned with henna and perfumed with oud.

Law and change

A Personal Status Law was issued in 2022; the marriage guardian system continues, and a ban on marriage under 18 without court permission is applied. Weddings are becoming smaller and more mixed in some families.

Wedding customs of Riyadh

ArdahThe sword dance.

Also part of it, and being written: Mahr (The bridal gift.), Henna (The bridal henna.), Kabsa (The feast dish.).

A wedding trail idea for Riyadh

  1. Diriyah The old capital where heritage events are held.
  2. Gold souks of Riyadh Streets where families buy bridal gold.
  3. Wedding halls of King Fahd Road The big halls known for large celebrations.
About this page

Written by the EveryShaadi desk with AI assistance. Opening hours, venues and wedding-season dates change; check locally before travelling. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.

KindRiteVowBetrothalGift customAttireAdornmentPerformanceFeast customBlessingPlayFamily roleSettingModern
StageFinding a matchEngagement and betrothalThe weeks beforeThe eveProcession and arrivalThe ceremonyThe wedding feastReception, dance and giftsAfter the wedding

No wedding traditions here yet. New pages are added every day.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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