An Indian fairytale wedding in Dubai

A huge thank you to Zainab Malubhai from Life Compositions photography for sending through these delightful images. Here, we feature the wedding of Dubai expatriate couple Anupama Lulla and Vikramaditya Manghnani, both originally from Mumbai India.

Anupama and Vikramaditya wed during a colourful Hindu Mehendi and Ring Ceremony at the Crystal Lounge/India Club, Dubai, followed by an entertaining wedding ceremony at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai, surrounded by friends, family and most of all, love.

The proposal…

It happened within 9 days of the first date.

It was the perfect night of June 12, 2011 while walking down the beach; my partner stopped right under the moonlight, looked into my eyes and popped the question “Anupama Lulla, will you marry me”. I had no doubt in my mind that it was this man that I wished to spend the rest of my life with. And the answer was an immediate “absolutely”

Neither one of us went on this date thinking we would be engaged at the end of the night. But it felt right. All of it just felt right. It was the perfect proposal & I would not change a moment of that night.

The wedding theme…

Being a simple person, I never believed in having a theme. In my personal opinion, I felt this would only add stress to me and the wedding.

Of course, since it was an Indian wedding there were the obvious elements: Mehendi and Ring Ceremony at the Crystal Lounge in India Club; Followed by the wedding ceremony at Radisson blu hotel; and the grand finale, the wedding reception at the Radisson Blu hotel.

The décor was kept a secret as my fiancé wanted to surprise me & surprised I was.

The dress…

Being an Indian wedding, it was not just one dress, there were three… & the pressure is always on the bride to look the best, stand out in the crowd, and so on…

I only had specific colours in mind. It was a great challenge to find the perfect match between style and budget. So my search took me to Mumbai…

With a few recommendations and a few long hunting days, I finally found the colours I had wished for:  A purple Indian outfit for the mehendi and ring ceremony. A traditional red sari for the wedding, and last but not least, a flaming orange gown for the reception.

Most enjoyable part of the planning process…

In my opinion, weddings always tend to be more stressful than fun. However, there were parts of it that I enjoyed. My personal favourite was witnessing the rehearsals of the performance to be done at the mehendi night. It is nothing short of ‘special’ when I saw my parents & their cousins participating to make the evening extra special. It’s these moments take the stress away…

Most testing part of the wedding planning process as an expat bride…

I think the most difficult part of being a bride in Dubai is being able to get the right elements for décor, the traditional jewelry and outfits and the perfect location. Since Dubai is in close proximity to India, it is easy for Indian expats to travel and get the dress and jewelry as required. However, the location and décor still remain a challenge. Especially if it is a summer wedding, like mine.

I always wanted a venue with a view. However, I feel there are very limited options to cater to this need. If they exist, these venues a very limited and very highly priced.  It’s great that a website like brideclubme.com now exists, as this will make the search process a lot easier for engaged couples when looking for specific options.

I was lucky to get the ballroom on the top floor of Radisson Blu Hotel for my wedding ceremony.  Since me and my fiancé grew up in Dubai, this was the perfect venue as we got married in the heart of Old Dubai overlooking the  all-important Dubai Creek. Incidentally, the creek was also the place where we spent a few hours of our 1^st date night.

Top three tips for expat brides-to-be…

A wedding is a nerve racking event. So to make it easier, I would highly recommend the following:

1. Staying around ‘Positive People’ and stay away from negativity – I was very lucky in this regard; I did not have one but many positive people around me. My mom; hyper but always kept showing me the light at the end of the tunnel. My cousin Amrita; while going through difficult times herself always kept a smile on her face and kept me on the positive track. My makeup artist Punam Rani & my photographer Zainab Malubhai. These ladies I had booked in my mind even before I met my husband. Not only were they extremely professional but also carried a positive attitude.
2. Organize yourself.  I maintained a binder called ‘Dulhan Diary’ of every small or big thing I liked… from the fabric patch for the wedding dresses to the pictures of hairstyle, mehendi designs, venue décor… etc. This really helped me get my ideas across to the people working on it.
3. Finally, plan ahead and book your favorites… starting from your favorite SPA, all the way to your henna artist, make-up artist, photographer. This will only reduce your stress by avoiding disappointment.

Overall, I would say that family and friends put in a lot of time and effort to make the Bride happy. So, keep smiling because a Smile is the best return gift for family and friends.

Key wedding suppliers used…

Wedding Venues: Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai & the Crystal Lounge, India Club, Dubai// Event Manager: Seven Star Events and Productions// Make-Up Artist: Punam Rani// Wedding Photographer: Zainab Malubhai // Henna Artist: Vandana Makar