A Multi-Event Wedding Planned By Cloud 9 Weddings & Events
Written by on April 5, 2018.
Tagged under: A Multi-Event Wedding Planned By Cloud 9 Weddings & Events, Cloud 9 Weddings & Events, Weddings in Dubai, weddings in RAK
A Multi-Event Wedding Planned By Cloud 9 Weddings & Events
When one of our favourite wedding planners, Mennat Al Hammami of Cloud 9 Weddings & Events, got in touch to say she had recently planned a multi-event wedding in Dubai AND Ras Al Khaimah, we were really intrigued. Manal and Samad had their wedding at Desert Palm Resort and Spa and celebrated their Mehndi at the Ritz Carlton Al Wadi in Ras Al Khaimah. With both events taking on different themes and colour schemes, we are delighted to be able to share them both with you today.
Mennat explains how the couple first met:
The couple met in March 2010 in the UK out of pure coincidence. Manal was stuck waiting for her cousin’s friend at a bus station – in the rain, I might add – and that stranger was Samad! When he arrived they rushed into a taxi and he asked her if she wanted to grab a coffee and they got to know each other. Years later, I met them together, and I could see the way they fell for one another. Their personalities complimented one another very clearly and their dedication to making their wedding as comfortable and enjoyable for all of their guests reflected their genuine characters. I always felt like a friend rather than a planner and it was a true pleasure working with them.
Read on to find out more about both events from Mennat herself, and to see more gorgeous images courtesy of Melrish Photography. Enjoy!
A Note From The Wedding Planner
A bride can never start planning too early for her big day. This statement lies true when it comes to Manal! With the amount of attention to detail she put into every aspect of the décor, she began the hunting process for a planner at precisely the right time!
Manal and her lovely mother, Rasheeda, met with me in May 2017 while they were still shopping around for a planner. I instantly understood they would be handling most of the decision making since the groom was based in the UK and would not be moving to Dubai until a few weeks before the wedding.
I sensed their willingness to begin putting ideas together and yet their cautiousness with avoiding rushing into any decision. That is probably the best description of the planning process over the next few months- nothing was ever rushed. Manal really took to researching the trends until she arrived at a theme. She was able to describe to me her vision through various Pinterest boards and images; a unique blend of rustic romanticism and boho-garden which incorporated lots of greenery, winter hues of greys and deep burgundy. Manal also wanted to somehow add hints of metallic and marble print. Â
Once the wedding theme and colour palette were chosen, Manal took over creating the invitations with a friend of hers who is a designer. The invitations followed the minimal winter tones, with a grey watercolour effect appearing throughout the collateral, and hints of gold in the text. The next step was to source the table accessories she so very loved. I reached out to Kelly from Mint Afternoon in the US, who was able to hand calligraphy almost 350 marble coasters with all of the guests’ names. These were used as place cards.
The tables were a combination of round and rectangular, covered with what looked like a canopy of hanging green garlands, crystal chandeliers and fairy lights. The round tables were adorned with Party Social’s beautiful table linens and show plates and gold cutlery. The wooden rectangular tables, we left bare and added a floor length table runner, which Manal sourced from Pakistan! They were in a medium grey velvet finish, which perfectly complemented the warm winter feel of the table accessories which we also sourced from Party Social.
The couple could not have picked a more beautiful or suitable venue for this theme! The Desert Palm per Aquum’s Olive Garden was truly mesmerising. The centrepieces complimented the garden perfectly thanks to Vintage Bloom. On the longer tables, the row of greens and flowers were truly elegant. On the round tables, we opted for tall stands with deconstructed arrangements on top.
Their stage was the focal point; Teddy from Fushia Events handled the sound and light and was able to build the stage as well. I asked Lilliam from E-walls to create a very large backdrop sticker of faint Karrara marble print. Â The backdrop was decorated with flowers along the bottom and framed with light grey fabric, which I draped in an uneven way, to compliment the dishevelled look of the flower arrangements.
The cake was the final touch! We asked Arwa Federal to create it for us, and she followed the colour palette brief to the T. The result was magical!
To keep their guests warm on the misty evening of the wedding, we asked Angelina CafĂ© to come in with their hot chocolate stand and serve guests after dinner.Â
The Mehndi
I was very excited that Manal asked me to style her Mehndi event too! This was two nights prior to the wedding. It was my opportunity to play around with a more colourful scheme, and include traditional props and textures.
Manal picked the Kan Zaman desert venue at the Ritz Carlton Al Wadi in Ras Al Khaimah as the venue. Set in the desert, the Mehndi event had a festival lounge feel to it as we set up the entrance with loosely tied multicoloured ribbons to the trees and tiki torches. Â
The colourful floor cushions and low wooden tables, hanging bulb lights and stations included giant Jenga, henna and coconut water. This was the event where guests were expected to let loose and dance, and the food set up was casual, inviting more interaction among the couple and their guests. There was a shawarma stand, a falafel stand, and even a s’mores station for dessert! Â
My favourite element of the evening was the dance floor, which was decorated with a hanging green panel created by Vintage Bloom and brass lanterns that were provided by Harlequin Marquees. The hanging installation overall complimented the traditional Moroccan lanterns that adorned the guest’s seating areas.
For photography and video, Manal and Samad fell in love with the work of Melrish. They covered both the Mehndi and the wedding and were great fun to work with. Their team was kind enough to take on the task of creating a slideshow of very old family photos for the couple as well, which was played during the wedding and had everyone in tears!
Henna says
Team of Cloud 9 weddings are professional.