Weddings are traditionally lavish affairs and when the big day finally comes, it is hard to imagine anyone choosing to forego the long-anticipated ceremony.
However, one couple in Saudi Arabia did just that. Buhaisa Alarabi and her husband agreed to skip the fancy ceremony and instead donated the money to a poor village in Djibouti.
"I wanted to share the joy of my wedding and give it to people who deserve it so I decided with Allah's blessing to put it in Djibouti," Alarabi said.
With the funds, they were able to install a new water supply for the entire village as well as build several homes.
"My husband and I decided to build the water network and then use more money from the wedding funds to build homes with Allah's blessing."
During a TEDx talk at the University of Dammam, Alarabi encouraged other students to follow her and her husband's example. She urged them to try something different for their weddings, saying that "it was beautiful to share our happiness with those who really deserve to be happy."
"Every girl that possesses a pure heart is a bride and has to throw a different wedding," concluded Alarabi.
Watch the video below where Alrabi talks about her decision to donate her wedding funds and shares images from her trip to the village in Djibouti.