Paraguay’s mass wedding of 600 couples highlights how affordable civil ceremonies can make marriage accessible. In contrast, South Asia struggles with extravagant costs and dowries, leaving thousands of women unmarried.
WEBDESK — More than 600 couples tied the knot in a mass civil ceremony in Paraguay’s capital, Asunción, on Saturday — an event that may carry lessons for South Asia, where the rising cost of weddings continues to burden families and prevent thousands of women from marrying.
The ceremony, held at the National Sports Secretariat gymnasium, was part of a government campaign called “United by Love and Protected by Law.” The initiative seeks to make weddings accessible for couples who avoid formal marriage due to financial or bureaucratic hurdles. By offering free or subsidized services, the campaign provides couples with legal rights, including inheritance, social security, and pension benefits.
Vice President Pedro Alliana praised the program, saying, “All Paraguayans have access to the right to formalise their union.” Religious leaders, both Catholic and Protestant, also blessed the couples, underscoring the event’s cultural inclusivity.
For many couples, the ceremony ended years of waiting. Jonathan Garay, who married his partner after six years of living together, said, “We had the opportunity and we took advantage of it.” Similar events were also held recently in Paraguay’s Ciudad del Este and Boquerón, where Indigenous couples were married free of charge.
This effort contrasts sharply with South Asia, where weddings have become synonymous with extravagance. Lavish spending, dowry demands, and rising event costs have turned marriage into a privilege rather than an accessible milestone. Countless women in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh remain unmarried, not due to lack of love, but because of social pressures and unaffordable traditions.
Paraguay’s example demonstrates that weddings can be simplified, dignified, and legally recognized without crushing financial burdens. If replicated in South Asia, mass civil weddings could relieve struggling families, curb dowry culture, and make wedlock a more inclusive reality.
For now, the hope remains that governments and communities in the region take inspiration, making marriage less about wealth and more about love and partnership.
