If you’ve had to postpone your wedding day, an engagement party, or even a surprise marriage proposal because of the COVID-19 lockdown, check out these new virtual or ‘at home’ services that were launched to help couples get through these unexpected times. From animated ‘Save the Date’ videos to virtual parties and wedding planning, these wedding and events-focused companies have diversified products for an online audience, or launched new ‘at home’ services, to help couples celebrate every one of life’s special moments and to help them continue to plan their big day effectively.

♡ The Big Proposals ♡  

Men can pop the big question in lavish style with a range of imaginative, high-end, tailor-made concepts from The Big Proposals, the UAE’s premier proposal planning service. Now that life in the Emirates is getting back to normal with hotels and restaurants open once again, The Big Proposals continues to offer hopeful grooms-to-be the opportunity to plan the perfect marriage proposal, from a romantic dinner on the beach to an evening on a luxury yacht, or even a private cinema screening. The Big Proposals also offers a bespoke proposal service and will take care of every detail, incorporating personal items that the couple loves, such as a personalised soundtrack and their favourite cuisine.  

*What’s new: An ‘At Home’ proposal package and virtual proposal experiences for loved ones who remain apart. For boyfriends wanting to pop the question in the intimacy of their own home, The Big Proposals can transform your abode into a wonderfully romantic setting. Create your own concept or choose from a number of pre-designed themes, such as a five-star, three-course dinner complete with your own high-end chef and butler, or the Romeo & Juliet Balcony Proposal Package, which includes romantic balcony décor, mood lighting and candles, cosy throws, ambient drapes and a gourmet picnic hamper, in honour of the famous scene. Or surprise your fiancée-to-be with a Movie Night proposal theme, which includes a movie screen, projector and sound system, bean bags, gourmet popcorn and a personalised ‘will you marry me?’ proposal movie. Prices vary depending on the proposal package.

Get in touch: Contact The Big Proposals via Instagram @thebigproposals, WhatsApp +971 55 582 7433 or through The Big Proposals website.

♡ Goldfish Photography & Video ♡ 

This Dubai-based boutique photo and video production company has captured the romance and celebrations of many weddings and engagement parties for couples in the UAE. Goldfish helps couples remember their special day and other important occasions though high-quality photos and expertly edited videos. The team at Goldfish has many years of experience in portrait photography, giving them solid know-how in capturing special moments with your loved ones to cherish forever.

*What’s new: Animated ‘Save the Dates’ and animated love story videos were launched as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown, with the team at Goldfish innovating its video services so that couples could still celebrate their important milestones, such as engagements and future weddings. With many weddings unfortunately postponed due to lockdowns around the world, Goldfish’s animated save the dates offer brides and grooms a fun and unique way to issue new invitations to their guests. The starting price for a 30-second customised animation is AED3,000, and because of the success of the new animated services Goldfish will include one complimentary animation with all of its weddings packages until the end of August 2020. 

Get in touch: Contact Managing Director Claire Sumner on email — claire@goldfishdubai.com, head to @goldfishphotographyvideo on Instagram, or visit the Goldfish website.

♡ Tesoro Events & Travel ♡ 

Meaning ‘treasure’ in Italian, Tesoro Events & Travel aims to make sure its clients cherish their special moments, longed-for holidays and milestone occasions with beautifully crafted events and travel packages, from destination weddings to gala dinners. Husband and wife team Hazem and Eva Asaad curate fine-art wedding concepts and designs in their Wedding Atelier, destination wedding packages, and honeymoon or ‘mini-moon’ packages, covering all the essential parts of your trip for a stress-free celebration. 

*What’s new: Tesoro Events & Travel adjusted its services in the wake of the lockdown to offer virtual wedding planning to continue to assist brides and grooms in organising their nuptials, especially helpful for any couples who got engaged during lockdown. The team can help couples get started with the design concept, select the ideal venue and prepare an overall game-plan to celebrate the big day. If you’re looking to book future honeymoons or a destination wedding, the company’s travel service can be purchased as digital vouchers, which can also be added to a wedding registry. This way, the couple’s loved ones can surprise them with a contribution to their dream honeymoon, while Tesoro Events & Travel works with them to curate the perfect romantic experience. Over the coming months, the company will be launching various travel offers to beautiful destinations with hand-picked hotels and experiences, perfect for honeymooners. 

Aiming to help people ‘escape reality’, even just for a few minutes, Tesoro launched a weekly series of free relaxation podcasts that transported listeners to picture-postcard honeymoon destinations, like Tuscany, Maldives and Bali. The Armchair Travels podcasts combine modern relaxing meditation techniques to help soothe the mind from current stresses from the comfort of your sofa. Tune in for free and listen to the series on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Tesoro’s website. 

Get in touch: Call +971 55 451 3962, email the team via info@tesoroint.com, direct message on Instagram @tesoro_events_travel or head to the Tesoro Events & Travel website.

♡ Props in a Box ♡ 

The creation of Props in a Box is an uplifting story borne from the COVID-19 lockdown, created by the team behind luxury event specialists Eventchic Designs — CEO Jardel Silva, and the director of sales and marketing Talita Da Silva. Looking out from her balcony one evening, Talita saw a family celebrating their little boy’s first birthday with loved ones over Zoom. “It hit me that people still need to make these occasions special somehow, even when stuck at home,” explains co-founder Talita. “So, from there we created the whole concept around contactless delivery of a themed party setup.” Talita and Jardel launched their creative concept during the lockdown in May, with a number of themed party boxes to help people celebrate special occasions at home. Themes include unicorns, mermaids, the circus, Disney’s Frozen, and various superheroes, and come filled with themed accessories for the occasion as well as tableware and set-up props.

*What’s new: The whole concept! If you’re celebrating an engagement or wedding anniversary, why not invite your close family and friends over to your villa or apartment to raise a glass, and add some fun to the day with a themed party box from Props in a Box. It may be bittersweet, but if you’ve had to postpone your big day, why not pay tribute to the date with an intimate gathering at home. For brides-to-be or hen parties, Props in a Box has an ‘All in Pink’ party themed box perfect for a girls’ night in, while partner vendor the Sugar Artistry supplies delicious wedding-inspired cakes and cupcakes. A balloon bouquet and a surprise box are added as complimentary keepsakes to every package. Party boxes start from AED2,500 for the petite box. 

Get in touch: Contact Talita or Jardel on email info@propsinabox.me, phone +971 52 120 7802 or message on Instagram @props.inabox.

♡ The Big Night ♡ 

The Big Night pushes the boundaries of imagination and creativity and tells stories like no other events management company in the UAE. Established by husband and wife duo, Kunal and Gauri Rupani, their expertise in event planning and filmmaking lead their team to create imaginative, memorable events, making corporate nights entertaining and weddings truly magical. Imagine entering your event by swimming through the aquatic tanks at Atlantis — at the Wow Middle East Awards 2019 the company won Gold for the Innovation in Entertainment Design award for this creative stunt. The Big Night specialises in creating exclusive time-travel inspired events that transport partygoers to a bygone era, such as the roaring ‘20s or into the extravagance of a Venetian ball. If you fancy yourself as a Greek bridal goddess, you’ll love the company’s beautiful Athena theme, perfect for brides who wish to float on clouds throughout the big day.

*What’s new: Inspired to do something that would help all the couples and families that had to celebrate their special moments and occasions alone or away from loved ones, during lockdown The Big Night set out to take the party to the virtual world! If you have a wedding, engagement, anniversary or any kind of celebration yet you cannot celebrate it properly due to the new norms, The Big Night offers an online solution, creating a virtual party package complete with a DJ, dancers, games, quizzes and more, and customised to the theme of your choice. The Big Night will host the entire event online while invited partygoers from anywhere in the world can connect via Zoom. The company’s first virtual party was Great Gatsby themed, with a Mr Gatsby emcee, butlers, mime artists, mind readers, dancers and a few other characters that enacted an entire story during the course of the event. The starting price for a basic event without any customisation is $1,000 USD.

Get in touch: Send a message on Instagram @thebignightdxb, call +971 55 466 4567 or +971 50 551 6286, email kunal@thebignight.net or visit The Big Night website.

We wish you all the best with your wedding plans and virtual bridal parties! For more lockdown-related news and at-home inspiration check out our dedicated COVID-19 features section, and for beautiful real wedding stories find them here on Bride Club ME