Do second marriages in Egypt have "prenuptual" agreements?

[SaadBell 0]

Cool wedding video, can't wait to see more. Love your dress

[morocco4ever 63]

Cool wedding video, can't wait to see more. Love your dress

That was fun to watch. Our wedding was very different, but I was so freaking nervous that I kept eyeing the door thinking of making a fast getaway...lol

I was amazed that your husband didn't freak about your dress, he must be very westernized. Mine freaked over a tank top when it was 90 degree weather, but I still wore it. I sure was sure giggling about your husbands roaming eyes. Normal man!

[Tunisia216 2]

Well the "dress story" That's a pretty good story

Come on, as western as he might be, you KNOW he freaked out about that dress! LOL But we had that fight a few days before the wedding. What happened was I completely forgot about a dress until the night before I was leaving for Tunisia. There was nothing in my closet to wear that was appropriate and I had no clue what I was going to do. So around midnight I run to Super Walmart- Yeah I know not exactly wedding dress central, but what was I going to do, everything was closed? As I'm walking out of the store thinking to myself ' great now I am going to be stuck trying to find something to wear in Tunisia and I'm neither a short or a small girl (which Tunisian girls seem to be) this is going to be HELL" But as I was walking out of the store I saw that dress and it was my size - I tried it on and it didn't look so bad - well for a Walmart dress

I thought it was a little low, but it would have to do and off I went.

Flash forward. It's about three days before our wedding and Jihed's sister asks me if I brought a dress. I told her that I had and she asked to see it. So she and I go off into in her room and I try the dress on. I turn around and his sister is like OMG it's so beautiful and I absolutely love it! Blue is your color Ash!

Please keep in mind that Tunisian wedding dresses are very low cut, sleeveless, very tight - I'm going to try to find some photos, but basically everything is left hanging out and they paint hena and harkous everywhere also - all over the breasts and such, which is visible during the wedding. I've attended a few Tunisian weddings.

Anywoo - So I'm standing in his sister's room with the dress on, laughing and giggling and being girls.. and I hear the door open, I turn around and Jihed is standing there and he just looks at me, looks as his sister, looks at me again - up and down - says very calmly, "No" and turns, closes the door and walks out.

I went hehe - I knew exactly what that "no" was about lol The dress was an absolute, no, nyet, laa, non, not gonna happen in this lifetime.

But what was I to do? I had nothing else to wear - and I had to admit from everyone's view and my own it looked really good - but it was a lost cause and I figured $30 at Walmart, not the biggest expense in the world. I quickly changed my clothes and put the dress back in the suit case. But his sister she is the one that caught me off guard - Her face got RED - She left the room and two minutes later I hear yelling, but it's not his sister, it's his father - yelling at him!!

"What are you doing to that girl? Have you seen what Tunisian women wear to get married in? Who do you think you are? We didn't raise you to act that way! " and then I heard back from Jihed,

" I don't care what Tunisian women wear, those women are not my wife, she is my wife and that's not okay for me! " And this went on and on until finally Jihed storms out of the house and his Dad comes in the room, opens my bag, takes out the dress and says - you will wear this ya benti it is beautiful and nice. Awwhh And then in walks Jihed's sister all smiles (LOL like she finally beat him hahahah )

Not long after he came back home and had cooled off, told me he was sorry, told me that he actually did love the dress but just didn't like the thought of another man seeing my chest like that and my arms - So we met in the middle - I had nothing else to wear, but I did have a small sweater that I wore over it - I kept it closed most of the time, but for pictures his mother insisted I open it - You can't see the harkous on my chest so well there, but his Mom spent a lot of time painting it and wanted everyone to see - hehe But that was the wedding dress FIASCO!

But you are right, Tunisia is very westernized (The French influence) and his family especially is very open minded. I love them

Cool wedding video, can't wait to see more. Love your dress

That was fun to watch. Our wedding was very different, but I was so freaking nervous that I kept eyeing the door thinking of making a fast getaway...lol

I was amazed that your husband didn't freak about your dress, he must be very westernized. Mine freaked over a tank top when it was 90 degree weather, but I still wore it. I sure was sure giggling about your husbands roaming eyes. Normal man!

[morocco4ever 63]

That is a great story, omg I am laughing my head off! I have never seen a Tunisian wedding, so I wouldn't know how they are, but Moroccan dresses are not at all like that.

I also totally forgot about a dress. I figured I would find something there. Well then we run out of money and time, I was freaking. His sister had several dresses (way too big). His sisters were throwing desses on me and taking pictures like crazy. It was too funny! They all did that same yell, but I wasn't expecting it. Unfortunately we didn't have time for the wedding party, and my husband to this day feels bad about it, but I enjoyed it non the less.

[Tunisia216 2]

Awwwwh! You poor thing... I have no less than 20 pictures of me in entirely stupid get ups with his Aunts just thinking it was the cat's meow - crown's and jewelry all over the place - I let them have their fun and their pictures, but in the end that just was not me. Hehe. (And I hold ownership of ALL those pictures and they are NOT getting out there! hehe)

Ya know, I get what you are saying about regretting not having a party, but I'd like to say I was EXHAUSTED! This went on for 5 or 7 days. There was painting of hena and harkous, there was a pre wedding party for just family, one for just girls, one for just the guys, dinner here and there, planning, party for some reason I don't even know what it was, girl's day at the hamam, on and on - then the wedding, then a party that night, and everyone coming in the next day and another dinner- Tunisians really get into this and by the end of it I was so tired I was ready to jump on that train to get to the beach for our honeymoon away from all the well wishers. hehe. (Too bad I ended up with one god awful sunburn that left me in the bed for 3 days! )

Oppositely my husband felt bad about that - Saying to me over and over - we don't have to do all this Ash, I can tell them to stop it - But I thought, look you're the oldest boy and just let them have their fun - it's as much about your family as it is about me and you. I was a good sport, but really felt drained of my energy. I'm glad that I stayed 40 days with him - Doing all that in one week or 10 days would have never worked!

I'd love to see some Moroccan dresses!!

That is a great story, omg I am laughing my head off! I have never seen a Tunisian wedding, so I wouldn't know how they are, but Moroccan dresses are not at all like that.

I also totally forgot about a dress. I figured I would find something there. Well then we run out of money and time, I was freaking. His sister had several dresses (way too big). His sisters were throwing desses on me and taking pictures like crazy. It was too funny! They all did that same yell, but I wasn't expecting it. Unfortunately we didn't have time for the wedding party, and my husband to this day feels bad about it, but I enjoyed it non the less.

[Ahmed & Sue 0]

WOW.........

Great video. I like the story that goes with it even better. This should have been a thread by itself, but I am really enjoying all the sharing. I like seeing the other side of the story.

I can see Ahmed getting mad about the dress too. I put a pair of my son's jean shorts on that go just above my knees, and he tells me they are too short. I wasn't expecting the screaming by the aunt........that took me by surprise. Did enjoy the break up of things though...lol.

Hey, I wanna know, have you worn any other dresses so low cut like that since? Just curious about the reaction. I really doubt mine is gonna be as lienient with that.

You and the hubby looked great. It surprised me to see all of you sitting down during the wedding vows. Is this a custom there, or something that was requested? But then with all the paperwork, he probably would have lost it if he was standing........lol.

Morocco, sorry you didn't get the wedding party, but it is never too late to have one. You could use your anniversary to do it. You both might enjoy it.

You both have made my day. Thanks.

[Tunisia216 2]

You guys are the sweetest!

I'm glad that everyone liked the video, but every time I look at it I just start thinking about how mad I was over the name and how hot I was! It really did feel like being in hell lol.

The wedding dress was the only exception - and I think that was more because of baba hehe I stayed there with him more than one month and it was the hottest I've ever been and all the other days were jeans and capris and long sleeve tshirts. Even at the beach lol In general Tunisia is a much more liberal country, I remember the first time that I went there how shocked I was seeing Tunisian girls walking down the street with low cut shirts showing breasts and mid drifts. The basic sentiment in the country is that you're free to wear whatever you want to wear - So you see sometimes two girls, best friends, one wearing hijab and the other practically naked in skin tight jeans and belly shirts- There's no rhyme or reason. Some women actually get harassed by the police for wearing hijab and it's banned from government buildings, military areas and such - But I think it's more of a random enforcement, I'm not sure. (I'm sure I'm going to get screamed at by someone that says this isn't true, but I'm just expressing what I have read and seen with my eyes)

My husband is very religious and conservative in a family that is not. Rather odd, his father is the most open minded person I know, even more than my American family and there have been idea clashes in the same household. His sister does not wear hijab and never has and she dresses in sleeveless shirts, tight jeans etc and she's only 17. Again it's the french influence and that they are a truly free society, why I love Tunisia so much, you get the feel of a Muslim country but not as much pressure. Yes they are Muslim, but in a lot of ways Islam sits very lightly on their hearts, really warm and loving wonderful people.

Yes sitting like that is common as what you saw was only the "legal" portion of the ceremony. The wedding party and any thing religious you would do would take place after what you saw. The bridge and groom go first to the municipal building in the town (the place that you saw us in acts much like a town hall in America would or a small court house ) and they do the legal portions of the ceremony. The man who is marrying us (the guy in the blue) is a friend of Jihed's father and the head dude in town lol. After that is where you have the party, and more elegant things.

The Aunts screaming was going on the entire week - I swear from the day the wedding festivities started until the day we left for our honeymoon, random screaming like that happened - Again Tunisian hehe But everyone in my family in the states did say

But when I got back to the states I was instructed to go through my closet and separate my clothing into "I can wear it without a fight " and "This might start a fight" and then the last category of "Absolutely not over his dead body would I be going out of the house in that" Again I have arab back ground and it's not odd for me but a lot of my American girlfriends were like - omg what is he doing? He's telling you that you can't wear something, that's so wrong! But the truth is, (might get a beating on here for this one) it makes me feel loved. I know he's very jealous, I know he feels that my body belongs to him and I love that my husband feels this way - It's a far cry from my first American husband who really could have cared less if I walked out of the house naked.

I think the best thing about him, even though he can be strict and bullhead at times, is that he NEVER asks something or expects something of me that he doesn't do himself. I adore him.

WOW.........

Great video. I like the story that goes with it even better. This should have been a thread by itself, but I am really enjoying all the sharing. I like seeing the other side of the story.

I can see Ahmed getting mad about the dress too. I put a pair of my son's jean shorts on that go just above my knees, and he tells me they are too short. I wasn't expecting the screaming by the aunt........that took me by surprise. Did enjoy the break up of things though...lol.

Hey, I wanna know, have you worn any other dresses so low cut like that since? Just curious about the reaction. I really doubt mine is gonna be as lienient with that.

You and the hubby looked great. It surprised me to see all of you sitting down during the wedding vows. Is this a custom there, or something that was requested? But then with all the paperwork, he probably would have lost it if he was standing........lol.

Morocco, sorry you didn't get the wedding party, but it is never too late to have one. You could use your anniversary to do it. You both might enjoy it.

You both have made my day. Thanks.

Edited May 1, 2008 by Ash * Habibati

[ya falaha! 0]

The "screaming" is called zaghroota.

Ohh I forgot the part where his Aunts start screaming ... Didn't scare me, I'm use to it with my real father's family, but my friends here (with no arab experience ) were soooo freaked out!! What are they doing?? Why are they screaming?? OMG OMG OMG loool

[ya falaha! 0]

I have to say that my husband would've reacted in the same way (to the dress) and maybe not as calmly as your husband. The dress would've been a definite no go.

Well the "dress story" That's a pretty good story

Come on, as western as he might be, you KNOW he freaked out about that dress! LOL But we had that fight a few days before the wedding. What happened was I completely forgot about a dress until the night before I was leaving for Tunisia. There was nothing in my closet to wear that was appropriate and I had no clue what I was going to do. So around midnight I run to Super Walmart- Yeah I know not exactly wedding dress central, but what was I going to do, everything was closed? As I'm walking out of the store thinking to myself ' great now I am going to be stuck trying to find something to wear in Tunisia and I'm neither a short or a small girl (which Tunisian girls seem to be) this is going to be HELL" But as I was walking out of the store I saw that dress and it was my size - I tried it on and it didn't look so bad - well for a Walmart dress

I thought it was a little low, but it would have to do and off I went.

Flash forward. It's about three days before our wedding and Jihed's sister asks me if I brought a dress. I told her that I had and she asked to see it. So she and I go off into in her room and I try the dress on. I turn around and his sister is like OMG it's so beautiful and I absolutely love it! Blue is your color Ash!

Please keep in mind that Tunisian wedding dresses are very low cut, sleeveless, very tight - I'm going to try to find some photos, but basically everything is left hanging out and they paint hena and harkous everywhere also - all over the breasts and such, which is visible during the wedding. I've attended a few Tunisian weddings.

Anywoo - So I'm standing in his sister's room with the dress on, laughing and giggling and being girls.. and I hear the door open, I turn around and Jihed is standing there and he just looks at me, looks as his sister, looks at me again - up and down - says very calmly, "No" and turns, closes the door and walks out.

I went hehe - I knew exactly what that "no" was about lol The dress was an absolute, no, nyet, laa, non, not gonna happen in this lifetime.

But what was I to do? I had nothing else to wear - and I had to admit from everyone's view and my own it looked really good - but it was a lost cause and I figured $30 at Walmart, not the biggest expense in the world. I quickly changed my clothes and put the dress back in the suit case. But his sister she is the one that caught me off guard - Her face got RED - She left the room and two minutes later I hear yelling, but it's not his sister, it's his father - yelling at him!!

"What are you doing to that girl? Have you seen what Tunisian women wear to get married in? Who do you think you are? We didn't raise you to act that way! " and then I heard back from Jihed,

" I don't care what Tunisian women wear, those women are not my wife, she is my wife and that's not okay for me! " And this went on and on until finally Jihed storms out of the house and his Dad comes in the room, opens my bag, takes out the dress and says - you will wear this ya benti it is beautiful and nice. Awwhh And then in walks Jihed's sister all smiles (LOL like she finally beat him hahahah )

Not long after he came back home and had cooled off, told me he was sorry, told me that he actually did love the dress but just didn't like the thought of another man seeing my chest like that and my arms - So we met in the middle - I had nothing else to wear, but I did have a small sweater that I wore over it - I kept it closed most of the time, but for pictures his mother insisted I open it - You can't see the harkous on my chest so well there, but his Mom spent a lot of time painting it and wanted everyone to see - hehe But that was the wedding dress FIASCO!

But you are right, Tunisia is very westernized (The French influence) and his family especially is very open minded. I love them

Cool wedding video, can't wait to see more. Love your dress

That was fun to watch. Our wedding was very different, but I was so freaking nervous that I kept eyeing the door thinking of making a fast getaway...lol

I was amazed that your husband didn't freak about your dress, he must be very westernized. Mine freaked over a tank top when it was 90 degree weather, but I still wore it. I sure was sure giggling about your husbands roaming eyes. Normal man!

Edited May 1, 2008 by moody

[Tunisia216 2]

yes zaghrouta is the word or zagareet They use another word for it in Tunisia as well and let me tell you what his Aunts have some refined pipes!!!

They are like a masters of it and it's defeaningly loud!!! Just a way to say congrats and express how happy they are ... But definitely a unique and strange thing for someone who is not use to it ...

The "screaming" is called zaghroota.

Ohh I forgot the part where his Aunts start screaming ... Didn't scare me, I'm use to it with my real father's family, but my friends here (with no arab experience ) were soooo freaked out!! What are they doing?? Why are they screaming?? OMG OMG OMG loool

[ya falaha! 0]

My sister in law is definitely a master of this art as well. Hers is very...well...LOUD.

[Tunisia216 2]

Hehe .. I just thought it was funny as the week went on it was happening so much that Jihed, his father, his brothers would just sleep through it - Baba laying on the couch and one of his Aunts would start screaming right next to his head and he wouldn't even stir LOL

My sister in law is definitely a master of this art as well. Hers is very...well...LOUD.

[sandinista! 1,816]

i don't get how police harassment of women covering their hair, or banning head coverings in government buildings = "they are a truly free society".

they're one of the most totalitarian regimes in the area, and the total human rights picture there is rather dismal.

[Tunisia216 2]

You're right, it would definitely be a better place if women were caned, beaten, and thrown in jail for wearing "inappropriate clothing" or riding in cars with males that were not their relatives...

The point that I was trying to make was they are free to dress as they wish, whether that is wearing hijab or walking around practically nude. I added the portion regarding banning of head coverings to illustrate that they are not a typical Islamic country, that their view points or operations or whatever you'd call it are more "westernized" And no I'm not anti-hijab - I'm pro choose what you want to do and do it as is my husband.

Have you ever been to Tunisia? Human rights picture is dismal? In regards to the jails/prisions, I'd agree with you there, most definitely - Egypt is right there with them. Internet and media outlets yes semi restricted- but they are making progress and moving into what I think is the right direction, slow but sure.

i don't get how police harassment of women covering their hair, or banning head coverings in government buildings = "they are a truly free society".

they're one of the most totalitarian regimes in the area, and the total human rights picture there is rather dismal.

[sandinista! 1,816]

You're right, it would definitely be a better place if women were caned, beaten, and thrown in jail for wearing "inappropriate clothing" or riding in cars with males that were not their relatives...

The point that I was trying to make was they are free to dress as they wish, whether that is wearing hijab or walking around practically nude. I added the portion regarding banning of head coverings to illustrate that they are not a typical Islamic country, that their view points or operations or whatever you'd call it are more "westernized" And no I'm not anti-hijab - I'm pro choose what you want to do and do it as is my husband.

Have you ever been to Tunisia? Human rights picture is dismal? In regards to the jails/prisions, I'd agree with you there, most definitely - Egypt is right there with them. Internet and media outlets yes semi restricted- but they are making progress and moving into what I think is the right direction, slow but sure.

i don't get how police harassment of women covering their hair, or banning head coverings in government buildings = "they are a truly free society".

they're one of the most totalitarian regimes in the area, and the total human rights picture there is rather dismal.

where is there even the remotest suggestion that the only alternative to police harassment and government bans on head coverings in certain places is caning, beating or incarceration in my post? truly free societies don't do either. when you can't wear a hijab in a government building, but you would like to, that means you're not free to dress as you wish. what part of that is hard to understand? it's nice that you had such a great visit there, but your happy experience does not negate page after page of horrible incidents and violations detailed by human rights watch and other organizations.