In a small town in the Nile Delta governorate of Damietta, an imam has been calling upon people there to keep wedding costs as low as possible to make life easier for themselves and their offspring. The residents, whose purchasing powers have declined under deteriorating economic conditions, are convinced that their imam is right.

Traditionally, bridegrooms have to buy their brides gold engagement jewelry and pay dowries. It is also customary across the country to hold a henna party before the wedding, in which artists use a paste made from dried henna leaves to paint intricate patterns on the hands of the bride.

The town of Sherbas, which has a population of 30,000, has a considerable number of unmarried men and women who find it difficult to afford marriage amid the soaring prices of electrical appliances, furniture and gold.

A group of residents are trying to help young couples keep their wedding costs as low as possible by doing away with the traditional trimmings and high expectations that surround wedding ceremonies. For example, grooms are buying less gold engagement jewelry and the various different parties associated with weddings — such as engagement gatherings and henna nights — are being cast away. The young couple sets their house with the basics, rather than expect a fully decorated house provided by their families before they start the marriage.