The Time Seems Ripe to Tie the Knot in Iraq

Los Angeles Times ^ | June 12, 2005 | By Louise Roug, Times Staff Writer

[Rooivalk]

BAGHDAD — Business is booming for the wedding DJ in the Iraqi capital.

The party planner at the city's upscale Hunting Club can't find enough floral designers to keep up with decoration demands.

Overwhelmed by the demand for marriage contracts, two judges in Basra are turning away would-be brides and grooms.

And an unscripted series that follows couples as they plan their weddings is among the most popular shows on Iraqi TV.

Since President Saddam Hussein was ousted two years ago, the number of nuptials in Iraq has soared, say party planners, judges and clergy members.

Although there are no reliable countrywide statistics, those in the business estimate that the number of "I do's" has doubled since the uneasy months before and after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

[ellery]

Original title: "The Time Seems Ripe to Tie the Knot in Iraq"

Bump for a great article.

[Rooivalk]

All brought to you by America taking a stand. The terrorists are seeing the handwriting on the wall as their program of death and repression is being soundly rejected

Thank our brave and wonderful troops for making this possible

And props to our president for getting out front on dealing with this terrorist thing. His lonely stand is making this possible

[Rooivalk]

Glad you could relate

[escapefromboston]

Iraqi Wedding music must be awful. Wedding music in America is awful, what must it sound like in an Arab country.
I hope I don't get invited to a wedding in Iraq.

[Spruce]

Arabic polka?

[EGPWS]

All brought to you by America taking a stand. The terrorists are seeing the handwriting on the wall as their program of death and repression is being soundly rejected Thank our brave and wonderful troops for making this possible

And props to our president for getting out front on dealing with this terrorist thing. His lonely stand is making this possible

But...but...The New York Slimes, ect. have explained the situation time and time again. That being a head count of the brave soldiers who have sacrificed all for freedom.

So something good is actually coming out of our endeavors in Iraq? /s

[Bahbah]

I had to check twice to be sure this was the LAT. Nice article.

[DCPatriot]

Just don't have wedding receptions after midnight near the Syrian border.....

[Rooivalk]

Me too

[Rooivalk]

I think it being Sunday and all that somebody wasn't manning the bad-news-only filters for stories about Iraq

Somebody may not have a job come Monday

[Bahbah]

Somebody may not have a job come Monday

LOL. You may be right.

[commonasdirt]

"Business is booming for the wedding DJ in the Iraqi capital."

Does he play We've Only Just Begun.....or the local music that sounds like cats fighting to the death in a bag

[SC Swamp Fox]

somebody wasn't manning the bad-news-only filters

I don't know, they found the "correct" tone occasionally.

Desperation can propel people into marriage, said Salih, who teaches at Baghdad University.

"This should not necessarily be seen as a sign of optimism," he said. "Iraqis see no end to the current situation, so they have adapted themselves psychologically."

The amount of money paid by the groom to the bride and her family, known as the mahr, has fallen, he said, and "the years are running."

"The girls worry about getting old without getting married."

[escapefromboston]

But the "cats fighting to the death in a bag" is a HUGE hit, though I prefer their earlier stuff , before they sold out.
I wonder if they could tell if they played the record on the wrong speed? (If you are not old enough we used to play records at different speeds. this was before CDs)

[Wiz]

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[Wiz]

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[Wiz]

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[Wiz]

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[TexKat]

Iraq Shi'ite women are married in a mass wedding ceremony in Najaf May 27, 2005. In spite of Iraq's current political and social instability, mass weddings are still held in Najaf under the auspices of a Shi'ite's women's group, the Imam Khumaini Association. 160 Shi'ite couples took part in the traditional ceremony in which men and women are seated in separate rooms. REUTERS/Ali Abu Shish

Iraqi Shi'ite men are married in a mass wedding ceremony in Najaf May 27, 2005. Despite Iraq's current political and social instability, mass weddings are still held in Najaf under the auspices of a Shi'ite's women's group, the Imam Khumaini Association. 160 Shi'ite couples took part in the traditional ceremony in which men and women are seated in separate rooms. REUTERS/Ali Abu Shish