A Dubai Wedding At The Desert Palm, Planned By The Groom ~ That’s Right, The Groom!
Written by on March 22, 2014.
Tagged under: DUBAI WEDDING, Dubai Weddings, Getting married in Dubai, Planned By The Groom, Real Wedding, The Desert Palm, The Desert Palm Dubai, Weddings in Dubai, wedding in Dubai, wedding planning dubai. wedding photography dubai
A Dubai Wedding At The Desert Palm
We are back again, with another stunning wedding held at the Desert Palm hotel, Dubai. Astrid (the bride) is originally from Switzerland and her husband, David, hails from the UK. Given where they are both from, it makes complete sense that they chose the lush green, expansive landscapes of the Desert Palm as their dream venue in Dubai.
Both David and Astrid live in the UAE and we were super excited when we heard that David was very much the creative mind behind this gorgeous wedding. It’s not often we receive weddings where the groom himself has done most of the planning and DIY, and if David’s handy work is anything to go by, we think more grooms should get involved in the wedding planning process.
Below, Astrid talks us through her special day and all the little details that her husband successfully pulled off.
The proposal…
It happened in Santorini, on 14June 2012. It was our first night there and we were walking around looking for a nice terrace from which to enjoy the sunset. Strangely, none of them seemed good enough for David and he decided we should go back to our hotel. So we grabbed some olives and snacks and headed back. On the terrace, I told him I was probably the happiest girl in the world. He turned to me and said: “I can make you happier if you close your eyes.”
I did and when I opened them, he was on his knees holding the most beautiful ring in his hands. I wasn’t expecting him to ask me to marry him and honestly thought it was a joke. I couldn’t believe what was happening and he had to tell me he was serious and needed an answer. Saying yes was the happiest moment of my life.
The wedding theme…
We both agreed we wanted a rustic-looking wedding, nothing too bling bling. This is why we fell in love with Desert Palm as a venue. It is gorgeous without being arrogant, and we loved the greenery, the architecture and the boutique hotel look, which is really hard to find in Dubai.
As we’d already got married legally in Cyprus in March with our parents in attendance, we were keen for this wedding to feel like a big party. We wanted it to be more of a celebration and invited mainly friends and close family members.
The wedding cake…
My beautiful and talented friend Emmy Brown made our wedding cake. She is our baking queen and you can always count on her to surprise you. Emmy has made cakes for birthdays, baby showers and engagement parties. Sadly I can’t show you the cake she did for my hen night (+21 only).
The dress…
For the dress, I wanted something simple, almost bohemian. But then I tried a few gowns on at the bridal shop in JLT and I completely changed my mind. Suddenly I wanted sparkles and a train, maybe even a tiara. You start feeling like a princess when you put the tiaras on.
In the end, I got my dress from a little shop in Barsha. I went for a look with a silhouette somewhere between a fish tail and an A shape, with lots of sparkle and a train.
Most enjoyable part of the planning process…
My husband is a creative director and had it all in his head. It was really easy for me and I didn’t contribute too much. I completely trusted his tastes and knew that, if I listened to him and let him do it, it would end up being beautiful and exactly what I’d dreamed of.
The hardest part was stepping back – it was very stressful not knowing if he was going to make it on time; at least if you pay someone to plan your wedding, you can blame them if you’re not happy. In this case, I just had to hope for the best.
Once again, he surprised me; he is the most talented person I know and everything was perfect. All the little touches and the originality of it were incredible.
He did it all himself, from the booklets with the plan for the day to the little cards with the link to our wedding app, the music, the signs and even all the tree decorations.
The signs were simply IKEA frames; he printed the posters, made holes and inserted lights in the frame. He then used smaller frames for the tree decorations. On one side there was a picture of us and on the other it was a mirror sheet.
But what I loved most was the fact that we used notebooks for the table numbers. Each book was personalised; inside there was a message addressed to the guests on the table, asking them to go crazy with their creativity, draw us a picture, or give us tips on marriage, etc. The guests loved it and, believe me, it’s surprising how artistic people can be after a few drinks!
My only contribution was the dancing shoes I found in Bur Dubai. David had the idea of adding the ribbons we were using in the decorations to make them more personalised.
Top tips for a bride-to-be…
Don’t worry too much about ticking all the boxes; the most important thing for me was to make it feel personal. With just close friends and family attending, the whole thing was just like a big party. The second most important thing is the photographer and/or the video as that’s all you have left when it’s all over.
The Brides Little Pink Book
Venue: Desert Palm, Dubai // Wedding Planner: The Groom // Photographer: Joshua Lawrence // Make-up artist: Make-up by Dee and Dal // Wedding Cake: Emmy Brown
Testimonial from the lovely Astrid for Bride Club ME: Bride Club ME was a fantastic source of inspiration for our wedding. Supplying everything any wedding party needs from locations to celebrants. BCME put us in contact with Toni our celebrant and she was all we could have ask for ! I just wish we could do it all over again ! D+A
Looking for more REAL wedding inspiration? Click here.
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