Throughout the turbulence of the last three weeks, Tahrir Square was the busiest wedding venue in Egypt. While more than ten couples tied the knot in the square among thousands of protesters, weddings in more conventional venues were being canceled due to the security fears that put many industries on hold. The wedding celebrations served to augment the festive mood that overwhelmed the square throughout the uprising, signaling people's jubilation over their ownership of the streets and public spaces. The presence of thousands of Egyptians in one place not only formed a strong political pressure tool that led to the fall of former President Hosni Mubarak, but it also made the square a perfect wedding venue for couples who wanted to share their joy with more than just their families and friends. Instead of centerpieces and flowers, the happy couples took their vows surrounded by army tanks and banners calling for the fall of the regime. While some couples attended their Tahrir Square weddings in casual clothes to match the revolutionary spirit, others brought some much needed elegance the square by showing up in tuxedos and wedding dresses. Safi Abdel Tawab and Amr Ahmed, both in their twenties, had the Islamic wedding procedures performed by a sheikh last Thursday on one of the stages set up in the square, while thousands of protesters witnessed the ceremony and joined the sheikh in praying for them. “We know the suffering that the people staying in Tahrir Square have endured, so we wanted to cheer them up,” says Ahmed. The couple had been inspired by the revolution's success to hold their wedding in the square. “We want our marriage to succeed the way the revolution has succeeded,” Ahmed adds. Mariam Rabi' and Yehia Mohamed canceled their wedding because of unfolding political events, deciding instead to tie the knot in the square on Thursday. “We gave up our wedding and came here to get married instead, where our martyrs have fallen. It's an amazing feeling,” says Rabi'. While Tahrir Square witnessed spontaneous celebrations, weddings that had been planned months in advance had to be canceled at the last minute beginning from the "Friday of Anger" on 28 January, when security in Egypt was jeopardized and many hotels and other wedding venues were temporarily shut. Operations manager in A-to-Z wedding agency Tamer Fekry says that 80 percent of the weddings that were scheduled to take place during the last three weeks were canceled, while some people who couldn't postpone their weddings moved them to the morning, simply going through the motions in the absence of festivities and most of the guests. He says that people were too worried and tense to celebrate. Wedding planner Hala Baraka says that, even though the wedding planning businesses lost a lot of money during this period, it was a sacrifice that they gladly accepted. “Even though there were losses, we didn't care about them as much as we cared about what was going on," she says. "We said that we were willing to sacrifice for a better cause.” Baraka says she was surprised to find that even the brides who had to postpone the most important night of their lives were very upbeat about the situation. “ I was very touched to find that the brides were not sad at all. They said that there were more important things in life than wedding ceremonies,” says Baraka.
