Riyadh, Sep 7 (IANS): A wedding in Saudi Arabia was called off when the bride insisted that she should be allowed to work after marriage and the groom and his family refused to agree, the media reported on Monday.

The Saudi bride and groom were about to sign the marriage contract in a court when the woman expressed her desire to continue to work, leading to a heated argument between their parents, a source told Arab News.

“When things started going out of control, the court officials requested both the parties to resolve the matter calmly. To everybody’s shock, the groom’s family walked away without any further discussion,” the source said.

The girl is already employed. The couple was engaged a year ago and the groom’s family never bothered to clarify beforehand whether the girl would continue to work, the source said.

“Although they were engaged, the couple did not meet or communicate with each other in keeping with the Middle East tradition,” a court official said.