Government | Tuesday 19 May, 2015 12:03 am |

Held jointly by DC and GDRFA for the second year in a row in line with the nation’s drive to curb extravagances and excessive wedding costs

Dubai Customs and the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs – Dubai have jointly held a staff mass wedding last night (Monday, May 18th, 2015) under the theme “Shayaheen Al Emarat”. A total of 87 grooms - 42 from DC and 45 from GDRFA- were celebrated in what has indeed become a tradition for Dubai Customs, as this year’s mass wedding marks the fourth year for DC and the second year as a joint venture with GDRFA.
The celebration took place at Baniyas Ballroom - Grand Hyatt Dubai, Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director of General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs-Dubai, and H.E. Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director of Dubai Customs.
H.E. Sultan bin Sulayem congratulated the newlyweds, saying that mass weddings have sublime and humane objectives towards enhancing the social structure pillars and cementing its texture. “Mass weddings are in line with the state’s drive to curb extravagances and excessive wedding costs and promote solidarity,” Bin Sulayem said.
Stressing the importance of mass weddings, Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri said: “This kind of weddings is becoming a cornerstone in our community. In this occasion, I would like to reiterate our support to such community events that aim to help UAE youth as their take their first steps to building cohesive and stable families.”
On his turn, H.E. Ahmed Mahboob Musabih expressed his contentment with this social initiative. He said: “This joint mass wedding exhibits solidarity and a profound sense of unity amongst Emiratis, following the steps of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and conforming with the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, as they repeatedly called for the sons and daughters of this country to stand as one.”
Dubai Customs’ Director of Communication and Head of the Joint Mass Wedding Organising Committee, Khalil Saqer bin Gharib said: “We at Dubai Customs have committed ourselves to hosting a staff mass wedding every year since 2012. This year’s celebration is the second to be held jointly with GDRFA, which reflects our shared commitment to strive for stronger government partnership.”
“The Joint Mass Wedding Organising Committee was formed with the participation of all competent government departments. As part of its efforts to build a stable and cohesive Emirati family, the committee launched the Successful Marriage Programme which include a series of awareness courses for husbands-to-be employees. The programme is presented by an elite of lecturers, experts and specialists in the fields of sociology, personal finance management and marital relations,” Bin Gharib added.

The “Shayaheen Al Emarat” celebration featured culled entertainment segments, stemming from the UAE culture, which were commended by the families of grooms.
The grooms on the other hand expressed their deep appreciation and gratitude to DC and GDRFA for their generous support of the wedding.
Towards the end of the ceremony, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri and Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, awarded the sponsors of the second joint mass wedding of DC and GDRFA who contributed to the success of this ceremony.