A Saudi groom has divorced his bride on their wedding night after seeing her face for the first time when the photographer asked them to pose for pictures.

The couple, from the Western Saudi town of Medinah, had agreed to marry each other despite having not met face to face - a popular custom in certain Middle Eastern countries.

But when the bride removed her veil and smiled for the camera, her new husband leapt to his feet in disgust.

Take it back! When the bride removed her veil and smiled for the camera, her new husband leapt to his feet in disgust and declared, 'You are not the one I had imagined. I am sorry, but I divorce you' (stock image)

'You are not the girl I want to marry,' he declared. 'You are not the one I had imagined. I am sorry, but I divorce you.'

According to local daily Okaz, the bride immediately collapsed in a fit of tears as panicked wedding guests stepped in to try to resolve the dispute.

SAUDI HUSBAND DIVORCES WIFE AFTER SHE FAILS TO REPLY TO HIS WHATSAPP TEXT MESSAGE A Saudi husband has divorced his wife after she failed to reply to a WhatsApp text message. The man, who got married two years ago, sent the message from his office and waited for a response from his wife. But none came. Thinking something must be wrong, reported Emirates 24/7, he rushed home to find her watching television. When he asked her why she did not respond, she said she was busy chatting with friends on WhatsApp and wanted to reply later. He divorced her instantly, the report added. 'I sent her messages on Whatsapp and knew she had read them because of the latest update on the application but still she didn't answer me or acknowledged my messages,' he was quoted as saying by the Gulf News. The husband, in his 30s, said he was frustrated by his wife's seemingly endless interest in using her phone for chatting with friends and family. Advertisement

But their efforts were to no avail.

'The groom said he had not been able to see his bride's face before marriage,' Okaz reported. 'When he divorced her, the bride collapsed and the wedding turned into a night of tears.'

News of the jilting was met with anger on social media.

Afra wrote on one social media network: 'He caused her great pain through his irresponsible attitude, and he deserves to suffer.

'He should appreciate that beauty is in the character, not the face.

'Unfortunately, many young people today are interested only in looks and ignore values and morals.

'May God give her a better husband who will appreciate her for who and what she is.'

Abu Nass added: 'He is not man enough to assume his responsibilities. He is totally, completely insensitive.

'Nobody has forced him to marry her. He should have insisted on seeing her before the wedding and the engagement, and not wait until the wedding night.