next up: shared Weddings.

HARGEISA, Somalia (Reuters) - Twenty-one couples have shared a joint wedding in Somalia, where the traditional lavish celebrations are increasingly unaffordable at a time of economic slump.

The function was arranged by Telsom, a telecoms company that employs all the bridegrooms.

The expense of a traditional wedding, especially when economic times are hard, is driving some young Somalis to leave their homeland. These lucky 42 wed on Tuesday.

"One of the reasons why the youth migrate is weddings are expensive, and I appeal to the community to simplify marriage by reducing the cost," Sheikh Mohamed Sheikh Omar Dirir, one of the area's most prominent religious leaders, told guests.

Strictly Muslim, men and women party separately.