The Kingdom’s wedding halls and venues have had their fair share of doom and gloom due to the coronavirus crisis, according to a sector representative.

"COVID-19 has been a disruptive force which affected various industries across the Kingdom,” President of the Wedding Venues and Event Planning Businesses Association Mamun Al Manaseer told The Jordan Times over the phone on Thursday.

This pandemic has changed wedding traditions in Jordan and the world. Celebrations, in general, have now become smaller and with fewer attendees, mainly the dearest and nearest, Manaseer said.   

There are nearly 1,100 wedding venues and 400 event planning offices in the Kingdom, which directly employ between 30,000 and 40,000 people working in coordination with 27 other sectors, creating a total of more than 100,000 job opportunities nationwide, according to the association president.

Many weddings and parties are being held in private villas and resorts near the Dead Sea, Madaba and in other places across the Kingdom, Manaseer noted, claiming that "most of these places are not adhering to the safety protocols”.

"We do not know with whom we should talk and bring up our concerns. There are no solutions and no clear dates for reopening the wedding industry,” Manaseer said.

The sector is now pinning hopes on the government, he said.