Marriage and Conspicuous Consumption in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. A Qualitative Analysis of Wedding Practices

Abstract

Weddings have evolved from modest festivities to lavish exhibitions. Families now compete to host the biggest event at these venues. These days, it's commonplace to have guest lists that could fill a stadium, helicopters transporting grooms, and imported floral arrangements valued at more than the average family's annual expenses. It appears that Pakistani soil is not considered glamorous enough, thus weddings frequently relocate to far-off places like Thailand or Dubai. The study aims to analyze the prevalence of conspicuous consumption in wedding ceremonies in Mardan. The aim of choosing qualitative methodology is to know the experiences of newly married couple regarding wedding and conspicuous consumption in Mardan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The study chose purposive sampling technique in order to select the newly married couples who meet the study criteria. The sampling remained continue till the saturation point. Moreover, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 respondents. Furthermore, thematic analysis was used for analyzing the data. The collected data indicates that wedding ceremonies have become an arena for ostentation and fierce competition; participants have noted that lavish wedding halls, designer attire, the quality of food, photography services, and gold jewelry have all become symbols of an individual's social status. Social pressure, traditional customs, class differences, and social media were identified as major factors encouraging excessive wedding expenditure, often placing financial burdens on low-income families and contributing to debt. The findings also show that some families use religiously oriented and simple weddings as a way to resist these pressures, although maintaining social standing often makes such resistance difficult. Social pressure, traditional customs, class distinctions, and social media have been identified as key factors driving families to incur excessive wedding expenses and subsequently fall under a burden of debt. The research also reveals that families opt for simple, religiously grounded weddings to avoid these social pressures, although doing so can be challenging due to considerations of social status or standing.