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Afghanistan may be one of the world's poorest countries, but weddings are still a big — and expensive — deal. On most weekends, Kabul's glitzy and somewhat garish wedding halls are packed with people celebrating nuptials.

One of them is the Uranos Palace complex. On the night I attended my first Afghan wedding, all three of its halls were overflowing. I was one of two foreigners in a room of about 200 men. The female guests sat on the other side of a seven-foot-high divider in the middle of the hall.

Golden chandeliers dipped down from the 20-foot ceiling, and massive curtains lined the walls of the hall, which had a pinkish hue. Cheap cloth and thick plastic sheets covered the tables. There were empty glass plates and some pitchers of water.

By 8:30 p.m., we had been sitting and waiting for about 30 minutes as men chatted and kids fidgeted, waiting for the ceremony to begin. Eventually, a group of musicians took the stage and began playing music that could be characterized as cheesy, keyboard-driven Afghan pop.

Finally, surrounded by a few close friends and relatives, the groom, Nesar Faizy — the brother of my Afghan producer, Sultan Faizy — walked into the hall.

Nesar was quickly paraded past each table. Then, he and about 20 men circled together in front of the bandstand and danced to a few songs. Afterward, he headed to the other side of the hall to mingle with his bride and her family.

In the meantime, men of all ages sat around the tables waiting for dinner. Most were wearing jeans, a button-down shirt, and a sport coat – the standard fashion for young men in Kabul. My American friend and I were both wearing suits. Sultan laughed and said we looked like senators.

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