Young couples are being urged to curb "unacceptable" spending on dowries and other wedding costs, following reports of amounts in the hundreds of thousands of dirhams landing newlyweds in debt. Dr Maitha al Shamsi, Minister of State and the chairwoman of the Marriage Fund, called on Emirati couples to set "reasonable budgets". "The dowry in itself isn't the only issue here," she said. "However, we would like to observe that wedding costs must be kept moderate. Some people require vast amounts be spent on lavish ceremonies and this is unacceptable. We advise young men to set aside reasonable budgets for wedding ceremonies." Read the full story Have you heard of newlyweds landing themselves with heavy debts due to wedding costs? Do you think the problem is widespread? What do you think should be done to curb the costs of weddings?
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