Afghan weddings

So I've had a few conversations with Afghan male colleagues about weddings. Many of our staff are of the marrying age, this coupled with the amazing number of huge, glassy, gaudy wedding halls that line the main roads of Kabul, make it a fascinating topic.

Weddings in Afghanistan are a huge, expensive affair. And I'm guessing when cost of living conversions are used, they are far more expensive than American weddings. Just now, I have learned that my guard (who is also a program staff employee) is saving money to be married in four months around the time of the Afghan new year. He says that it will cost him $12,000. His engagement party cost $6,000. However, the thing to remember here is they have to invite everyone, because everyone has some family connection to each other. And in this country, your relationships mean and influence every part of life. As he said, for everyone one person he invites, four people show up. He estimates that at his wedding will be 700 from his side and he guesses that his fiancee will have about 300 people. And that is normal from what I've been told.