​Dubai Customs celebrated on Wednesday evening, March 14th, 2012 the first mass wedding for its female staff with 52 brides attending the ceremony held at Al Rashideya Hall in Al Bustan Hotel under the patronage and in the presence of Her Highness Sheikha Rawda Bint Ahmad bin Juma Al Maktoum, wife of HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and the Minister of Finance.

The ceremony was attended by Mrs. Aisha Majid Bin Thunia, Head of Dubai Customs Women’s Committee and a number of wives of the diplomatic and consulate community members as well as Dubai Customs female employees, the brides’ families and prominent female dignitaries.

Mrs. Aisha Majid stressed that Dubai Customs’ mass wedding for the female employees follows the steps of the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, may he rest in peace, with regards to supporting people who are about to get married, and in compliance with the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai in reducing unnecessary ceremony expenses and curbing extravagancies and excessive wedding costs which burden the bride and the groom.

Mrs. Aisha also commended HH Sheikha Rawda bint Ahmad bin Juma Al Maktoum for her kind sponsorship of the mass wedding ceremony. She confirmed as well that this function presents a joyful opportunity for the brides and their relatives as well as the community as a whole since it conveys a noble message to the society and draws an example-to-follow for solidarity and cohesion stemmed from our Islamic teachings.

She noted that the event is in line with Dubai Customs strategy and directives towards supporting community partnership and contributing to creating equal opportunities for the Department’s employees and help them tolerate the marriage-related expenses; thus, fostering the principle of social solidarity which reflects positively on individuals and enhance their national identity, loyalty and awareness.

On behalf of the brides, Ms. Asma Ebraheem Obaid Al Hamsheh delivered a speech where she thanked the Department and its upper management for this kind gesture which anchors cohesion and the concept of one-big-family among the UAE people who seek to make descent and stable families that function as the pillars to supporting our beloved country’s prosperous journey and shower the country and its leadership with love, support and loyalty.

Ms. Al Hamsheh said that this occasion is significant to all prospective couples, and is a translation of the numerous gains bagged through the entire developmental renaissance witnessed in the UAE over the years guided by HH Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s President and HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the UAE’s Vice-President and Prime Minister, Ruler of Dubai, may God protect them both.

Dubai Customs’ brides were honored by HH Sheikha Rawda during the ceremony where Al Meksar show took place; which is considered a major component of Emirati weddings and a special night for the bride and her family who display to the guests all her wedding gifts, jewelry, accessories, perfumes and even some home appliance that were bought.

In addition, guests were entertained by the beautiful folkloric singing Emirati Shallah performed by Ms. Ruqaya Al Kabi nicknamed “Gharshoob Al Fajer”. The evening was of course concluded with a banquet to celebrate the occasion.

It is worth noting that the Department celebrated on Wednesday evening 4th January 2012, the first mass wedding ceremony for the male employees at the Department under the patronage of HH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and in the presence of H.E. sultan Bin Sulayem, Chairman of Ports, Customs and Free Zone corporation (PCFC) and H.E. Ahmed Butti Ahmed, Executive Chairman of PCFC and Dubai Customs Director General at Sheikh Saeed Hall in Dubai World Trade Center along with a number of the Department’s senior directors and employees.

The two ceremonies were long prepared for and anticipated. A special organizing committee was formed for this purpose with members of Dubai Customs middle management who set up a complete methodology which includes the conditions of participation and the objectives behind encouraging the newly wedded of Customs male and female employees as well as the retirees’ sons and daughters as a simple way of expressing gratitude to those who served the Department and the current staff.

The function’s arrangement also included organizing awareness courses for the employees who took part in the first mass wedding, in cooperation with Dubai Women’s Association conducting lectures by highly-qualified and experienced social workers and experts to increase their awareness about family life and knowledge about marriage life by providing them with the key and proper fundamentals to a happy, solid and settled marriage in order to minimize the cases of divorce as much as possible.