I Earn SAR 9,500 and Have Saved SAR 60,000. Should I Marry Now with What I Have or Save for Two More Years?

Question

Straight to the point: I earn SAR 9,500 a month and have saved SAR 60,000 over three years of work. My only commitment is the SAR 1,800 monthly rent on my current apartment, and I could move to a family apartment for around SAR 2,500. This is how I calculated it. From what I hear, a dowry in Jeddah is around SAR 40,000 to 50,000. A simple marriage-contract celebration and dinner would cost SAR 15,000, while essential furniture would be SAR 20,000 to 25,000. What I have would therefore cover everything only if the family were willing to reduce some of the costs. My questions are: what dowry do most families in Jeddah actually consider reasonable, rather than what people merely say? Is a wedding hall necessary, or would a limited family dinner be enough without causing embarrassment? For anyone who married on a similar budget, did things work out afterwards or did you become trapped in debt? I would appreciate your experiences.

سعود · Accepted Answer

Praise be to God, and peace and blessings upon His Messenger. I am from Jeddah and have helped arrange marriages for female relatives in recent years, so I am speaking from situations I know firsthand. Dowries here vary. Some families ask for fifty thousand, while others have accepted twenty-five thousand without feeling that anything was lacking. As the traditional saying teaches, the best marriages are those made easiest, and a family that values your faith and character will be flexible about the figure. My advice is not to wait two years. You have sixty thousand and a stable salary, which is enough for a modest beginning. Keep the dinner to close relatives and spend what you save on your home. May God grant you a righteous wife.

خالد · Answer

I married for the first time with less than you have. The wedding hall consumed a third of the budget, and nobody mentioned it a week later. A family dinner is enough. Dowries vary from one family to another, so decide what you can afford and say it clearly at the first meeting. Do not delay for two years; prices will not wait for you.

تركي · Answer

Brother, I married a year ago when my salary was only seven thousand. Everyone around me said it was too soon and that I did not have enough. I placed my trust in God, and my wife's family, may God bless them, understood my circumstances and reduced the dowry. Praise be to God, I have not regretted it for a single day. Our home is simple but secure, and my heart is at ease. Do not wait two years; the sixty thousand you have is far more than I started with. Trust in God and move forward.

دانة · Answer

I will disagree with the majority here. This is not only about enthusiasm and encouragement; it is about the numbers. If the dowry and setup consume the entire sixty thousand, you begin married life with no savings, and any emergency in the first year could put you in debt. My suggestion is: - Set a ceiling of SAR 45,000 for the entire project and do not exceed it. - Keep SAR 15,000 for emergencies. - If you cannot find a family willing to accept that limit, there is nothing wrong with waiting a year while saving in a disciplined way. Marriage is a financial decision as well as an emotional one.

راشد · Answer

My son, when I first married, I owned no more than two months' salary. They say anyone who waits for everything to be perfect will never marry—is that not true? God opens doors of provision after marriage, not only before it. I saw that with my own eyes in my children and throughout my generation. Begin with God's blessing and do not bury yourself in calculations.

I Earn SAR 9,500 and Have Saved SAR 60,000. Should I Marry Now with What I Have or Save for Two More Years?

Community answers