KARACHI, Nov 26: It costs a middle class Pakistani no less than Rs200,000 to marry off their daughters, for the rich families estimates run over Rs10 million. There were also cases where expenses crossed hefty sum of Rs40 million as a decorated bungalow in a posh area was the part of the expensive dowry package.

In a society where the disparity between rich and poor is on the rise, for middle class families — about 80 per cent of the total 15 million population of Karachi — a daughter’s marriage is a big financial challenge. The rising cost of living due to inflation and other pressures of paying high utility bills leave most of them groaning.

Majority of families try to arrange weddings as per their resources, while some indulge in ostentation. Lately the trend has deepened to overspend under social pressure or for show off. The white-collar class makes it an issue of their vanity and pool resources at whatever cost to exhibit their status.

For arranging dowry for their daughters to meet the demands or expectations of the groom’s family, the middle class families borrow heavily beyond their paying back capacity. From a random survey it was gathered that many people take loans from their family members while some rely on local informal saving schemes called “BC” to meet wedding expenses.

Most expensive and essential item is jewellery. Furniture, kitchen and electronic items, wedding dresses and extra dressers for the bride and other family members, ceremony function, etc. are considered to be essential for a wedding. Most people also give some cash to their daughters.

A random market survey reveals that if a person earns Rs40,000-50,000 per month, he gives jewellery to his daughter in the range of Rs125,000-150,000, besides spending Rs40,000-50,000 on the bedroom set. He spends Rs60,000-70,000 on managing electrical and electronic items besides arranging crockery of Rs10,000-15,000. Catering and hall booking eat up Rs150,000-200,000 while daughter’s wedding dress and other dresses cost Rs40,000-50,000. In case of Rasm-e-Hina, he spends Rs25,000-30,000.

In case a person earns Rs20,000-30,000 per month, he manages jewellery worth Rs60,000-80,000, furniture Rs30,000-40,000, Rs10,000-15,000 for the bridal dress, Rs80,000-100,000 for catering and hall booking, Rs5000-8,000 on crockery and Rs40,000-50,000 on electrical and electronic items.

Person earning Rs10,000-15,000 salary strives hard to meet marriage expenses below Rs200,000 or sometimes he feels satisfied in spending less than Rs150,000. In such type of category, people also has some 20 per cent of their savings in hands while they also rely on the gifts from their close relatives in order to include them in the entire package of dowry.

All Pakistan Gem and Jewellers Association patron-in-chief Akhtar Khan Tessori offers a different view, saying that filthy rich class had no limits of buying jewellery but the businessmen class usually purchase Rs600,000-800,000 jewellery (diamond and gold sets) for their daughter’s.

Upper middle class prefers to have jewellery sets in the range of Rs200,000-300,000, while middle class people purchases Rs150,000-200,000 jewellery. Even he claimed that the lower middle class was now buying Rs50,000-85,000 jewellery sets.

Jewellery prices have gone up by over 100 per cent in the last five years due to rising international prices of yellow metal. A 3.5 tola necklace costs Rs40,000.

Arambagh Furniture Market chairman Atiq Mir says that the furniture price has surged by over 50 per cent in the last five years due to frequent rise in raw material prices. He says that lower middle class people prefer to buy Rs20,000-25,000 bedroom set (bed, dressing table, divider and cupboard), while middle class people arrange Rs40,000-50,000 worth of bedroom set and the upper middle class families manage bedroom set of Rs80,000-100,000.

In rich families, the plentiful dinner arrangement comprising varieties of dishes, lighting at the venue and sparkling dresses itself speaks volume of lavish spending of money on wedding arrangements.

The functions in such families start 10-15 days ahead of the actual date of wedding, called Dholkis in general term. Sometimes reputed local singers are called upon at half a million rupees or more to sing just one day during these days while some filthy rich people manage singers from India.

In such families, guests mostly comprising bureaucrats, private sector people, foreign diplomats, army personnel and dignitaries are invited. The wedding show turns into an important event of polishing their current and future rapport with high profile local and foreign personalities.

In the last two years, the well-off families put the onus of holding grand wedding to the event managers. Besides, the famous boutique owners and fashion designers enjoy the field day during wedding season as such families and their female and male members feel proud of wearing branded or labelled dresses only.

Instead of procuring flowers from the local sellers, many families bring in flowers/orchids from Thailand, Holland etc. It has also been seen that professional dancers are hired a month earlier to train the ladies so that they could perform perfectly during the Rasm-e-Hina ceremony.

The tradition of distributing of only dry dates among the guests after the nikah ceremony has now vanished from the society. Now, costlier packets made of shinning and silky clothes are purchased to distribute five to six types of dry fruits.

Digital photography and movie making has replaced the old VHS technology.

Aijaz Akhtar, manager of Studio9 at Main Zamzama, says that movie making rates have doubled in the last three years as now Rs13,000 is being charged for a single day for digital photography, while for video making the rate is Rs7,000 per day as 3CCD cameras are used.

The rate of movie and still photo package ranges from Rs13,000-80,000 depending on the demand of the families, he said.

Bridal makeup rates vary from Rs3,000 in lower income and some middle class areas to Rs8,000 in upper middle class areas. In DHA and Clifton the rate ranges between Rs10,000-15,000.

New trends in decorating the venue has arrived with the introduction of net tents with chandlers and beaming search lights besides full velvet tents. Even the furniture has changed to iron rod from ordinary iron chairs. The rate of tent decoration ranges between Rs40 per head to Rs500 per head depending on the demand.

Shafiq Baig, PRO Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), said that he spent Rs200,000-250,000 on his one daughter’s marriage on Saturday (without dinner). It was actually planned to host the dinner at an estimated cost of Rs200 per head for 700 persons but the programme was changed because of official ban on serving meals. Three years back he paid Rs145 per head for the same number of people for dinner.

Because of the peak marriage season, hall owners are charging Rs70-90 per head that does not include any refreshment. The rate was quite low five years back, he adds.

Chinioti families are famous for holding a sumptuous dinner as well as splendidly organizing the entire wedding extravaganza. Leading exporter and former president of Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) Shaikh Manzar Alam, a leading representative of Chinioti community, says that in our community people of my financial status give Rs3 to Rs4 million diamond and gold jewellery sets to the daughter and the price of bedroom set ranges between Rs1.5-2.0 million.

“As many as 1,000 persons are invited and dinner is arranged at a price of Rs700-800 per head at leading five star hotel or club.”

He says that wedding dress costs Rs100,000-500,000 and should be of prominent designer’s label. Electronic items cost worth Rs200,000-225,000.

“Our average cost of marriage for a single daughter comes to over Rs10 million,” Alam says, adding that there is actually no limit of giving as it depends on the families’ financial status.

“Frankly speaking I am not in favour of such lavish spending on wedding,” he says adding that his marriage had been solemnized at a mosque in a simple ceremony with limited guests.

“We are getting out from the basic teaching of Islamic tradition of hosting wedding,” he reckons, adding that our seniors and elders can change the tradition.

“The ultimate loser is the middle class who try to adopt the way through various means,” he says. The ban on serving meal on wedding and valima is a good decision if it is implemented with full force.

Former chairman of Site Association and Director MHG Group of Industries Majyd Aziz says that people matching with his status invite minimum 1,500 guests and manage Rs600 per head dinner. Movies and stage cost Rs100,000 while bedroom sets, electrical and electronic items cost Rs5 to Rs6 million.

Aziz, belonging to the Memon community, says that jewellery is purchased between Rs700,000 to Rs1 million while the wedding dress price ranges between Rs200,000-250,000, while Rs150,000 is spent on managing dresses for other family members.

“Cost of wedding has definitely gone up as marriage is not celebrated as a function but it is now a show of status, improving and discovering public relationship, display of contacts and self projection,” he says.