RIYADH — The cost of holding wedding parties in Saudi Arabia is among the lowest in the world, despite exorbitant increase in the cost within a year. The average cost of wedding ceremonies in the Kingdom during a year witnessed a huge spike of 32 percent but even then it was less than the cost in the Pakistani city of Lahore, which lies at the bottom of cities in the world in terms of the cost of wedding parties. The cheapest cost of hosting a wedding in the world is in Lahore with an estimated cost of about SR13,200 ($3,500), while the average cost of wedding ceremonies in the Kingdom in May 2022 amounted to SR12,500 ($2,290), according to the latest data of the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT). The GASTAT report showed that the average cost of wedding events in the Kingdom rose during a year from SR9,464 to SR12,500, with a total annual increase of 32 percent and a monthly increase of five percent, after it rose from SR11,933 in April this year. The GASTAT data attributed the recent spike in wedding parties mainly to the rise in food prices, the cost of hotel accommodation, and prices of other components that are included in the cost of wedding. However, the average prices monitored by GASTAT vary with the costs of wedding in a number of regions of the Kingdom, with the costs reaching up to SR100,000. The average cost reveals that there is price disparity in wedding ceremonies in the Kingdom and that is attributed to the discrepancy in the type and category of services that are chosen in wedding ceremonies. The distinctive customs and traditions of many regions are also contributing to the rise in costs of wedding to record prices that exceeded more than five times of the average cost. A report of the Wedding Price Index (WPI) revealed that Pakistan, India and Vietnam recorded the lowest wedding cost in the world for 100 people, but the cost was lower than the average wedding prices in the Kingdom. The city of Lahore recorded the lowest wedding cost in the world by about $3,500 (SR13,200), followed by the city of Nha Trang in Vietnam with a cost of $3,600 (SR13,600), and the city of Goa in India at a cost of $3,800 ($14,400). The WPI cited the cities with the highest cost of wedding in the world. With 2022 set to be a record year for weddings, the WPI compares the cost of holding a wedding in popular destinations around the world. The index recorded The Hamptons in New York in the United States of America as the most expensive city for wedding costs, reaching up to $46,000 (SR174,000), followed by Positano, Italy, with about $43,000 (SR162,000) and Fogo Town in Canada at a cost of $39,000 (SR147,000). Below the top three came, Seville, Spain - $36,000 ($136,000); Florence, Italy - $33,500 (SR127,000), Paris, France - $31,000 (SR117,000); Venice, Italy - $30,000 (SR113,000); New York - $30,000 (SR113,000); St. Tropez in France - $27,600 (SR104,600); and Cascais in Portugal - $27,600 (SR104,600).
