A Vibrant, Multi-Event Dubai Destination Wedding

With a multitude of vibrant colours, and showcasing some of Dubai’s best five star hotels, today’s real wedding is actually four events, which took place in April this year. Planned and implemented by our vendors Lavender Blue, this glamourous occasion demonstrates how Dubai is the perfect location for a destination wedding, particularly if you have friends and family scattered across the globe.

Natashya and Samir both live in London, where Samir works as a transplant surgeon and Natashya as a management consultant. Sharing a rich heritage (Samir is of Indian and East African origin whereas Natashya was born and raised in Canada but also has English, Indian and East African roots), it is clear where the inspiration and colour at their wedding events came from!

After meeting through mutual friends in 2011 whilst Natashya was studying for her Masters degree at the London School of Economics, Samir proposed in December 2014 when visiting Natashya’s family in Calgary, Canada, for Christmas. He took Natashya on a surprise helicopter trip to Mount Assiniboine in British Columbia and proposed at the peak where it was -42 degrees Celsius and entirely remote from people, roads and civilization in general! It was too cold to put the ring on, and they didn’t want to lose it in the deep snow, so they took photos, admired the scenery and hurried back into the helicopter! 

Below, Nancy Bragg from Lavender Blue Wedding Planners tells us all about organising each of the four separate celebrations in Dubai.

A Note From The Wedding Planner

Above: Nancy Bragg from Lavender Blue Wedding Planners

Our lovely international clients from the UK, Natashya and Samir, contacted us just over a year before their wedding, looking for a wedding planner in the region to assist with their big day.

They had decided on Dubai as the destination due to its central location, which was convenient for their guests travelling to their big day as well as having the best selection of five-star venues!

Natashya and Sam’s wedding consisted of a Pithi, Mehndi, Nikah and wedding reception; a total of four separate wedding events each with a different theme, style and location within Dubai. Lavender Blue provided a full wedding planning service which included finding the perfect venue for each of these wedding events, designing and styling each event, managing the wedding budget and liaising with all the suppliers involved along the way.

After a week of site visits and contemplating a huge selection of wonderful hotels, Natashya and Sam decided to hold the Pithi at the Shangri-La on Sheikh Zayed Road, host the Mehndi at the Ritz Carlton JBR, and opted for the Ismaili Centre in Oud Metha as the venue for their Nikah. Meanwhile, the wedding reception was held at The Palace Hotel, Downtown.

Once venues were chosen, we then had the exciting task of working on the colour themes and styling for each event and venue. The main focus was the colourful Mehndi party and the elegant wedding reception at The Palace.

Mehndi: A Blue, Gold and Pink Occasion

The chosen venue was La Baie Lounge at the Ritz Carlton. This isn’t a usual venue for wedding events, however we thought for a Mehndi party this would work perfectly. The venue is modern, bold and is a great canvas for transforming with colour at night time. This is exactly what we did, focusing on bright strong colours using lighting to create the mood. We also used bold structured flowers to keep the modern look with lots of candles to add some soft lighting.

An international DJ entertained the guests all evening and some wonderful henna artists worked their magic creating some beautiful and intricate designs.

Wedding reception: A gold, peach and turquoise theme

Natashya and Sam chose The Palace for their wedding reception, using the outside pool area with the backdrop of the Burj Khalifa. Magical! With a more classic style, Natashya wanted to use some softer colours that were incorporated in her wedding stationery. We created a bold entrance display to really capture guests on arrival, continuing through to the flower arrangements on the cocktail tables and centrepieces. The Palace also worked their magic with the sweet table continuing the theme.         

An amazing pianist/singer, who kept the guests dancing all evening, was brought over from the UK. He encouraged guests to request songs and could literally sing and play just about anything!

Above: Image by Design by Louma

The Bride’s Little Pink Book

Wedding planner: Lavender Blue – Photographer/videographer: Hitched in Dubai – Venues: Ritz Carlton JBR, Shangri-La Sheikh Zayed Road and The Palace Hotel, Downtown – Florist: Franzie’s Flower Design – Furniture rentals: Mint Event Rentals and Party Social – Rentals: Lace in the Desert – Henna Artist: Vandana Makar  – Mehndi Attire: Amraoui Couture – Wedding Reception Attire: Maggie Sottero – Groom Suit: Hugo Boss – Hair and Make-up artist: Jefferson Palis – Wedding stationery: Design by Louma

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