Dubai: Creating the wedding of your dreams is no ordinary feat and depending on how prepared you are for it, planning a wedding can either be special or stressful.
There are tons of things to consider: invitations, venue, catering... So just how do you navigate your way around this web of decisions and choices?
First of all, “don’t sweat the small stuff”, advises Barbaranne Heaton, creative director of House of Morai, a bridal wear label. “It all comes together eventually,” she says.
You’ll also make things easier on yourself if you accept help from those around you including your bridesmaid and best man, says Paul Alcazar, director of lifestyle events at The Address Boulevard Dubai.
Couples can also check out The Wedding Fair in Dubai, touted as the region’s largest open-air one-stop wedding shop, this weekend at Burj Park, Downtown Dubai. Experts at the event offered Gulf News tabloid! their top tips to make planning a wedding as enjoyable as the event itself.
PLANNING THE WEDDING PARTY
Remember three main things while planning your wedding: enjoy the process, trust professionals that you’ve hired and don’t ever be shy to ask for discounts, extra perks or further advice.
Hire a wedding planner: This is on top of the recommendations. Most importantly the couple should enjoy the wedding rather than worry about small details. Investing in an experienced wedding planner “is money well spent if you choose wisely”, says Julie Leblan, CEO of MyList, an online gifting platform. Flex your time management muscles and start planning early, she advises, while Heaton will tell you to “trust your instinct”.
Prepare a guestlist: Olga Ezzat of Save the Date wedding planners advises to decide the guestlist first and then search the venue as most large hotels charge a fixed fee. At smaller venues that cater to fewer than a hundred people, you can pay per person rather than a big minimum spend. At the same time, envision where you want your big day — on the beach, a glamorous ballroom, country style, at a golf course or a vibrant part of the city — and then look for options. And, to avoid disappointment, The Address Montgomerie Dubai’s lifestyle events manager Ingrid Keisler says “book early”.
Hire wedding professionals: Ensure you use references and online resources; these will help you learn more about their style, and read the feedback of the other couples. Hire suppliers in advance. Most of the couples prefer to get married during the peak season from October to April, so keep in mind vendors get busy during this time.
Keep a budget in mind: There are a huge number of options out there; decide what is the most important, be it decor and flowers, food or entertainment. Work around the key elements, and try to minimise costs on services that are not so important for you. No matter what you decide it, make your big day something “personal and not generic”, says Hayley Marsden, milliner of Hayley Marsden, while keeping it within the budget.
Katerina Kazakova, owner of Vanila Wedding Studio, says to think outside the box, and shop around. There are a lot of “less traditional” bridal options out there that don’t have to break your budget. It’s also worth keeping an eye out for off the rack bargains for the dress in designer shops, which can then be altered and modified for a more bridal look.
PICKING THE RIGHT DRESS
Research: Before you go shopping for your dress, make sure you’ve done some research, says Kazakova.
“Go through images on the internet to finalise your personal ‘I like’ and ‘I don’t like’. It will be much easier for you to choose the model once you are in the shop and see thousands of dresses that may even look the same at first glance,” she says. “The main thing before you go and do your bridal shopping is that you have to define and clarify for yourself the style you want. Once you have made connection with your bridal consultant, trust her. She does this for [a] living and has already seen thousands of brides with your physical characteristics and she knows well which dress style will suit which body-shape, including your budget limits.”
Start early: Diala Abu Issa of Dubai Bridal Showroom says start at least nine months before the wedding itself. Try different silhouettes and fabrics because, often, brides end up with something totally different if they don’t give themselves enough time to order the dress.
Check options: Heaton says picking the right dress can be “daunting and a frustrating” because the dress you choose should not only fit your budget but your personality and style. “If you’re surrounded by friends it is easy to get carried away. Always keep your options open, if you find you are having to compromise due to not finding one to your taste then exploring the bespoke route could be an altogether better choice. Bridal separates are also becoming increasingly more popular for the edgier bride, it gives you the freedom to mix and match for a unique look as well as helping with strict budgets.”
Don’t miss it
The Wedding Fair will be held on Friday, February 3 (2 to 9pm); and Saturday, February 4 (11am to 6pm) at Burj Park, Downtown Dubai.
