We’re headed to the United Arab Emirates for a grand wedding at the St. Regis Hotel with Komal and Sufiyan.
Twirl your way into that gorgeous outfit!
Tell us about the wedding!
It was a Muslim wedding held at the new St. Regis Hotel in Dubai. We followed a traditional Pakistani style wedding with dhol players, separate bride/groom entrances and a traditional exit. Sufiyan is from India and Komal is from Pakistan.
Could you tell us about any special wedding customs/clothing you had?
The groom wore a turban and traditional shoes. My dress was from Elan in Lahore, Pakistan and was extremely heavy! 🙂 I had traditional bridal henna on my hands and many guests from different cultures wore traditional Pakistani clothes.
What was the inspiration for your wedding?
The inspiration was Dubai – a melting point. There is a mix of so many cultures here and we tried to go with that. We had it at St. Regis (an American hotel with a French look), we had an international menu, guests from every cultures, Sufi dancers from Turkey for the bride’s entrance, a Tanoura dancer from Egypt, a live table girl wearing a saree and a live red carpet girl. It was a mix of many cultures. The stage for the bride and groom was inspired by the floral stage at Sofia Vergara’s wedding.
What was the hardest part about wedding planning?
Dubai is full of wonderful wedding planners with lots of great ideas. The hardest part was deciding what elements to get and what to leave. We went with an amazing wedding planner (Rania from Jam Events in Dubai) and she really understood what we were looking for and was able to create an amazing event for everyone!
Did you do any DIY (do it yourself) or special projects/things at the wedding?
We had a big picture of the bride and groom’s engagement shoot at the entrance, we spray painted letters to place on the live table alongside drinks and we bought the centrepieces from a local home store.
What was your favorite part of the wedding?
The entertainment at the bride and groom’s entrance. Two traditional Indian dhol players set the scene for the groom and walked him in. For the bride, 2 Sufi dancers walked her in and spinned as she walked by. They continued their show after the bride was seated beside the groom.
What advice do you have for future brides/grooms-to-be?
It can be stressful but enjoy it while it lasts because when the day starts, it flies by so quickly and before you know it, it’s all over!
Add one element that really defines or represents you.
Don’t be afraid to do something new or different.
Wedding Vendors:
Pooja Studios – photographers // Jam Events (Rania) – wedding planner // St. Regis Dubai