A Beautiful Outdoor Wedding in Abu Dhabi

One of our BCME vendor club family members – Sara (of Gourmelicious) has tied the knot! Today, we share these gorgeous pictures by Maria Sundin and a beautiful video by Hitched in Dubai of the stunning Egyptian couple – Sara and Ahmed.  With the support of Yvonne (Events Coordinator at Shangri-la Abu Dhabi) and Soha (her sister), Sara managed to plan her dream wedding in a short span of two months. Featuring marsala & burgundy hues, coupled with gold accents, and the most impressive Gourmelicious couture cake, this wedding is a stunner! Below Sara shares her experience and offers valuable wedding planning tips to all brides-to-be!

The dress & bridal Hijab…..

It may sound crazy, but I bought my dress online from a designer in Saudi Arabia who produces her creations in a factory in China. When the dress finally arrived, it was love at first fit and I wouldn’t have settled for any other dress. The dress came with a veil which I styled with a tiny tiara. I completed the look with a dazzling pair of Louboutins.

The venue & wedding theme… 

After having scouted many venues in Abu Dhabi, I finally settled on the Shangri-la hotel in Abu Dhabi,  because it had a beautiful beach and garden, which allowed the wedding to be held outdoors with a stunning view, without having to walk on sand. I chose a vintage European themed outdoor wedding with elegant Arabic touches. The color palette of the wedding included deep plums, marsala and reds with touches of gold. These colors were incorporated in to the flowers, bridesmaid’s dresses, centerpieces, table covers, and even the cake.     

The wedding cake…. 

I kept the cake simple, just like the theme of the wedding. I mimicked the beautiful wedding flowers (Roses, Ranunculus, Anemones and Eucalyptus leaves) from Bliss to decorate the cake.

Most enjoyable part of the planning process…

The entire process of planning and styling the wedding was enjoyable and not to mention, after designing cakes for so many weddings, it was really interesting to design my own wedding cake!

Most testing part of the wedding planning process…

Time-management!

Top three tips for a bride-to-be…

 ♡ Remember you cannot do everything on your own without driving yourself nuts. So, get some help – hire a planner or a wedding stylist or get support from your family/friends to guide you through the process. My wedding wouldn’t have been possible without my sister Soha’s help!  ♡ Get a makeup trial! Even though I am Egyptian, I wanted to stay away from a conventional Arab makeup style and opt for a classic look with a bold lip colour. I had two makeup trials that I did not like before I found Mariya – who gave me a look I loved.  ♡ Relax and do not stress. My wedding was not perfect and a lot of what was planned wasn’t actually executed because of the lack of time, but I saw the bigger picture and realized it was my day and all I have to do is enjoy it.

Lastly, did www.brideclubme.com help you during the planning process?

I know most of the Bride Club vendors as I am one myself; I constantly drew inspirations from the Bride Club Me posts and I learned a lot from the experience of other real brides featured on the website, especially from Rio’s tips and advice as a real Dubai bride herself.

Sara & Ahmed’s Wedding Video

The Bride’s Little Pink Book

Venue: Shangri-la hotel, Abu Dhabi / Photography: Maria Sundin photography / Videography: Hitched in Dubai / Videography 2: Image Lounge (for a traditional long 3 hour video) / Make-up: Mariya  / Cake: Gourmelicious / Grooms Attire: BOGGI / Flowers: Bliss / DJ: Karim from Dj Stylez  Chairs: Posh Event Rentals / Vintage bicycle, black board, easel & cushions: Innovative hiring 

 Looking for more real wedding inspiration? Click here.