Dubai Municipality will again hold a mass wedding of its employees, with 24 getting married tomorrow.
Obeid Salem Al Shamsi, Assistant Director General of Dubai Municipality for Administrative and General Services Affairs, said this initiative was taken in line with the instructions of President His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan to cut the high cost of weddings and avoid excessive expenditure.
The mass wedding will be held at the Staff Club in Al Garhoud tomorrow. "We are organising the second mass wedding ceremony to help the municipality staff reduce their wedding costs. Dubai Muni-cipality will bear the cost of the ceremony.
"The couples can invite their relatives and friends to the ceremony which will be attended by Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, UAE Minster of Finance and Industry and Chairman of Dubai Municipality and other dignitaries," said Al Shamsi. Sheikh Hamdan will present gifts to the couples.
"This shows his keenness in providing a decent social life to the youth and reducing their burden in arranging wedding ceremonies," Al Shamsi said.
"Khalid Ali bin Zayed, Head of Public Relations, said 2,500 people are expected to attend the ceremony, which will feature performances by folk troupes, laser shows, fireworks and shows by students of several Dubai schools."
He said when the municipality announced the second mass wedding, the committee received several requests from the municipality staff and employees of other government departments.
"This year, the ceremony is unique as we got two requests in which both the grooms and brides are municipality staff," he said. The municipality will host a gala dinner on the occasion.
On behalf of Qassim Sultan, Director General of Dubai Municipality, and all of its staff, Al Shamsi thanked Sheikh Hamdan for the noble gesture of bearing all the costs.
Gulf News 2003
