22 couples from the Al Derei tribe were married in a mass wedding ceremony in Al Ain. Organised in collaboration with the Department of Community Development (DCD) – Abu Dhabi, the event adhered to the principles of the Medeem Model for Women’s Weddings, one of the core pillars of the Medeem initiative.
Designed to help couples enjoy a stable and blessed family life, the mass wedding embodied authentic Emirati heritage and values, and reflected the Al Derei tribe’s deep-rooted commitment to the vision of the UAE leadership, and to enhancing social cohesion.
Hosted at the Al Qou’ Wedding Hall, the elegant and sophisticated celebration invited families and loved ones to gather and honour the unions of their children with a men’s wedding ceremony on the Friday, followed by a women’s wedding celebration on the Saturday.
Commenting on the event, H.E. Dr. Mona Al Mansoori, Executive Director of the Medeem Initiative at DCD, said: "We congratulate the Al Derei tribe on this blessed occasion, and thank them for their commitment to embodying the values of the Medeem Model for Women’s Weddings, and their dedication to creating marriages built on strong foundations. The women’s ceremony was held within the designated time frame of three hours, and the refreshments took the form of simple and traditional Emirati snacks and beverages. It was a beautiful occasion filled with Emirati traditions and heritage.”
Dr. Al Mansoori added that since its launch, the Medeem initiative has been pivotal in raising awareness among young Emiratis and their families about the importance of preparing for married life, beginning marriages on a stable note, and supporting the UAE leadership's belief that families are the cornerstone of a harmonious and thriving society.
Dr. Hilal Saeed Al Derei, a key organiser of the mass wedding, extended his gratitude to DCD for spearheading the Medeem initiative. He said: "We commend the Department of Community Development – Abu Dhabi for creating such an important initiative that encourages Emiratis to embrace marriage as a key step towards building happy and stable families. I want to urge every resident of Abu Dhabi to
explore the benefits and services offered by the programme, and support our wise leadership’s ambition to facilitate marriages between youth. I also want to congratulate all the Al Derei couples who celebrated their marriages, and thank all the families who joined us in marking this happy and beautiful occasion.”
Dr. Al Derei went on to highlight the benefits of mass weddings. He noted that switching from extravagant modern weddings to traditional mass weddings has the potential to save young couples approximately AED 117.9 million, and save the community approximately AED 196 million in wedding preparation expenses. He also added that mass weddings reinforce community solidarity, reflect the Emirati values of unity and support, and transform weddings into meaningful occasions that strengthen and bond communities.
A mother of one of the brides expressed her gratitude to the organisers of the event. She said: "We are deeply thankful to the UAE leadership for their continuous efforts to build happy and stable families, and for initiatives such as Medeem that simplify the path to marriage. In recent years, we’ve witnessed the negative impact of excessive wedding customs, and how they can burden couples without bringing any tangible benefits. Thankfully, our youth are becoming more and more aware of how important it is to establish families based on authentic values. I encourage everyone to adopt the Medeem Model for Women’s Weddings, and allow it to restore joy and simplicity to wedding ceremonies."
The couples who participated in the mass wedding also benefited from the Medeem Center for Family Nurturing’s “Premarital Programme”, a carefully curated course that is designed to equip couples with the skills and knowledge they need to create and maintain harmonious marriages.
Couples who are interested in implementing the Medeem Model for Women’s Weddings in their own wedding ceremonies are invited to register through the Medeem Digital Platform medeem.gov.ae, and stay updated by following Medeem on Instagram @medeem_ae.