Wedding industry picks up after pandemic lull

AMMAN — Wedding bookings have increased by at least 30 per cent this summer, according to wedding venue operators.

“Weddings are booming again. People are celebrating their weddings. This is the busiest season since the start of the pandemic,” Ammar Rashdan, an owner of a local wedding hall, told The Jordan Times during an interview on Wednesday.

“It is a big relief” for sector operators to have this many weddings after two hard years, he noted. Now, hotels and wedding halls are also having engagement parties, shower parties and gender reveal celebrations.

“Most couples now prefer outdoor venues and this summer, in particular, bookings have significantly increased,” said Malek Omar, an employee at an outdoor wedding venue, on Wednesday.

Large weddings, which are common in Jordan and the region, are back, however many still throw small wedding ceremonies and dinners, Omar noted, adding that the post-pandemic trends are “here to stay”.

Lubna Mahmoud, a Jordanian who got married in 2020 when the pandemic first started, said that although people are back to having big weddings in Jordan, still, “celebratory events seem much simpler now”.

In 2020, Mahmoud had to cancel her original wedding day, and instead opted for a small ceremony at home.