BAGHDAD — Cars bedecked in flowers and ribbons swerve around blast walls and honk past checkpoints before stopping at a hotel. A brass band runs up to a sedan as the bride, struggling with her gown, emerges. Inside are 300 friends and relatives and a luxurious, 10-layer cake.
A long stretch of relative calm is sparking a marriage boom.
During the darkest days of sectarian violence in 2006-07, many couples put off marriages or kept them quiet to avoid suicide bombers. But now, newlyweds are throwing lavish wedding parties like those that were once a mainstay of the Baghdad social scene.
Violence is down 70 percent from a year ago, and while specific statistics aren’t available, authorities suggest weddings have jumped.
“War or peace, the young are young; they want to get married,” said one bride’s father.
