Diary Of A Real Bride – Dania – A Dubai Beach Proposal To Remember
Written by Fairy Bride Mother on May 26, 2023.
Tagged under: Dubai, Photography, Weddings, a Dubai Proposal, engaged, romantic, wedding photographer
We are back with our much-loved ‘Diary Of A Real Bride’ blog series, where engaged women share honest musings about their wedding planning journey with our readers, penning down the highs, the lows, and everything in between. Today, we are excited to introduce you to Dania, a bride-to-be based in Dubai but originally from Manchester, UK. She is engaged to the love of her life, Reece, from London. In this post, Dania shares her proposal story.
Hello there! For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Dania, a Dubai-based bride-to-be. I am here to share my magical proposal story with you, and trust me, it was everything and more.
On Friday, March 25th, 2022, I experienced a pivotal moment in my life – I became engaged and a wife-to-be. It had been an incredibly stressful day at work, and to my surprise, my fiancé and I work at the same place, so I received a text message from him saying ‘I’m in the car, come on, it’s your birthday weekend!’ I had completely forgotten it was my birthday weekend, and we were supposed to go out for dinner to celebrate. My fiancé, Reece, told me he had planned a surprise romantic dinner for me before the next day’s brunch festivities. He instructed me to be ready at 7:30 pm sharp, but that was all he revealed. I grabbed a coffee to energize myself and began getting ready, feeling relaxed and almost too chilled. My mind was preoccupied with thoughts of the big birthday gathering the next day, and my dress was waiting, ready to wear. I had no idea what to wear for the surprise dinner, but after some time, I decided to wear a green dress that was still unworn with the tags attached. Perfect!
An hour later, my fiancé was pacing up and down, discussing jacket options. I laughed and said, “No, a jacket? It’s boiling outside!” Little did I know, he needed a sturdy pocket. We finally got ready, and I was early for once. After taking some selfies with my cat (a true story, honestly, I was so unaware), he decided to call a safe driver. However, none were available for an hour. I noticed a bead of sweat drip off the top of my fiancé’s forehead. Being ever so calm, I suggested calling the place to let them know we’d be a tad late. En route, all I did was talk about how starving I was for the whole journey and dreamt of the food we were going to eat. My fiancé was unperturbed but upbeat, saying it was going to be the best birthday meal I’d ever had. As we took a right onto the palm and carried on further down, we arrived outside the stunning ‘Anantara.’ My heart was full, stomach empty, but I was so happy.
We were ushered to the entrance, where a gentleman said, “Mr. Bush.” I was shocked at the service and wowed by them knowing that we, yes we, were joining them for dinner (still no idea). “Madam, sir, please…” we were asked to hop onto a golf buggy. I was loving the ride, taking silly selfies with my fiancé. We arrived, and I actually said, “I think he’s made a wrong turn.” I looked into my fiancé’s eyes, and he assured me I was wrong. I looked ahead to see a pathway onto the beach, beautifully lit with candles on either side and a red carpet taking us down to a private dining table. My eyes filled up, and I was in utter shock. It was the most stunning thing I’d ever seen… dinner in the sand.
The Big Moment
As the private waiter poured me a glass of champagne, I noticed a pristine bouquet of baby-pink roses and a birthday gift laid on the table. I literally thought I was the luckiest birthday girl in the world. But then he said to me, “There’s one more, and it’s pretty big, so come back to the carpet and close your eyes.” So, let’s take a moment. At this part of the story, everybody goes, “So you must have had an idea now!” And truly, I did not. I thought (don’t laugh), that he was going to roll out a large canvas of us. I love photos and creating memories, so it seemed fitting. However, then he said, “Give me your hand, Dania.” THIS WAS THE MOMENT. I kept telling myself, “It’s okay if it’s not, but it really feels like it could be my moment.” Then, he started saying the words I’ve only ever dreamt of him saying. That he has been wanting to do this for so long, and now it’s our time, and that he loves me more than life itself. Tears were rolling down my eyes, and I forgot to say, he told me to keep my eyes closed. So, I am just crying with my eyes closed at this point (not sure what the waiter thought).
As I opened my eyes, there he was, down on one knee, holding an exquisite ring with tears in his eyes, asking me to be his wife. My heart exploded. I said, “Have you asked my dad!?” through tears and sniffles, and he said, “Of course.” I screamed, “Yes!” I think the whole of The Palm could hear me.
The next minute, a photographer rolled out from underneath a sun lounger and snapped photos of us as we embraced. Turns out he’d been there all along and captured the exact moments. I asked myself, “How did I find this man?” I wiped away my tears and half of my makeup. The private waiter was crying and said it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. So, I cried again. I just could not believe I’d had this fairy-tale moment with my best friend and now husband-to-be. Food was a distant memory; I could not eat a thing! I could not stop staring at my ring, and it fit perfectly. It was a dream, a perfect dream
Well, I had been completely blindsided by it all. My proposal story was indescribable; a moment I will cherish and love forever. I am now a Dubai bride-to-be and cannot wait to tell you all about my journey to planning the wedding, from picking the dress. I hope you enjoyed hearing my proposal and remember to always let your partner wear a jacket. Who knows…
Don’t forget to visit us next month to see Dania’s latest bridal diary post and to find out how her wedding plans are coming along! You can also follow Dania over at @dandandaniaa on Instagram for more wedding updates!
Theresa Du Toit says
What a fabulous story!!!!!!! Loved it!!!!!! As a wedding celebrant I just LOVE hearing the proposal stories!!!!! Im amazed at the details most guys go to in planning this fantastic moment with such precision!!! I smiled all the time as I was reading this, and it truly made my heart sing!!!!! Well done to Reece for surprising you so brilliantly!!!! Congratulations to you two! !!! Theresa Du Toit. Wedding Celebrant.
Tabitha says
Ms. Dania Bush,
Congrats,
Loved the story, I could read it over and over.
You make such a cute couple.
Write us the wedding!