The Nikah in Islam is a very simple occasion as it is taught by the model of prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
From Prophetic tradition, we know that the Islamic wedding was a simple ceremony with about 10 guests attending. Cultural expectations nowadays call for a ceremony that is extravagant and expensive. Also, the dowry or wedding gift demanded by brides in some Muslim-majority countries is sometimes too much expensive that the groom is unable to meet the demand. In other countries like India, it is the bride’s family who need to give a dowry to the groom. In most of the cases it is a huge amount and it makes their life miserable too. The Nikah ceremony these days are also occasions for ostentation to show off and people do not hesitate to spend lavishly on their ‘once in life time’ event.
From the invitation card to wedding halls, splendid meals and other wedding related arrangements like dress, ornaments, flowers and more, people do not try to fit into minimum, but spend extravagantly. As it becomes a social trend, everyone is literally forced to follow the trend and spend accordingly to keep up their social status and good will. This makes Nikah expensive and even unaffordable for many. That is a troubling departure from the way things are supposed to be, according to the Islamic faith.