Groom divorces new wife after seeing her face for the first time at their wedding

A ‘disappointed’ Saudi groom has divorced his new wife on their wedding day after seeing her face for the first time at their reception.

The couple, who accepted the marriage without meeting each other, met for the first time as they were to exchange vows and, after the ceremony, when the bride’s veil was lifted, the disappointed groom refused to proceed with the marriage.

“You are not the girl I want to marry,” the groom, from the Saudi city of Medinah, is reported to have said, “You are not the one I had imagined. I am sorry, but I divorce you.”

The report, in local Saudi newspaper the daily Okaz (translated by Gulf News), says  the bride was so shocked, she burst into tears immediately attracting the attention of the many guests in attendance.

The story has caused consternation among social media users who have described the groom as, among other things, “pathetic,” and “insensitive” while others blame the predicament on the ancient tradition.

‘Arif’ from Dubai declares “The correct way is to see each other’s face before marriage. That is the correct custom which could have avoided these anomalies.”

But the majority of comments blame the groom with one chap, Afra, summarising the general consensus perfectly: “He should appreciate that beauty is in the character, not the face. Unfortunately, many young people today are interested only in looks and ignore values and morals. May God give her a better husband who will appreciate her for who and what she is.”