Prince Mesh'al Bin Majed, Jeddah Governor, graced the 14th Marriage Festival, which witnessed 1200 couples tying the knot here Wednesday. The Charitable Society for Marriage and Family Guidance in Jeddah organized the mass wedding under the patronage of Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah region and the society's honorary chairman. The festival took place at Jeddah Center for Forums and Activities. Sheikh Abdullah Al-Othaim, the society's chairman and judge at the Appeals Court in Makkah, said, “In today's time, such mass marriages play an important role, especially for a groom who cannot bear the expenses of a wedding.” He also mentioned the outpouring support the society received from official and private sources. One of the parents of a groom said mass marriages are becoming popular as they help reduce the financial burden grooms incur in conventional weddings. __