J’ Adore The Desert | A Pre-Wedding Shoot In The Dubai Desert
Written by on June 7, 2014.
Tagged under: Dubai Desert, J’ Adore The Desert, Pre-Wedding Shoot, Tasneem Photography, Weddings in Dubai
J’ Adore The Desert
It was a hot summer’s day in Dubai when photographer Tasneem Al Sultan, videographers Renaud Santos Moro, Niane De Sa and I roamed the dusty roads in search of a scenic location for Marina and Clement’s pre-wedding photo-shoot.
The back story here is interesting. Having worked on our styled Great Gatsby shoot last summer, the incredibly talented and kooky Tasneem (or Tess, as I call her) contacted me to ask if I’d help with a pre-wedding shoot in the desert, in return for some images to share with our readers. I happily obliged. Now, I am by no means a wedding stylist myself – I tend to ask my vendors to execute my ideas. So the shoot wasn’t ‘styled’ as such; I just helped with the set-up on the day.
The incredibly sweet bride-to-be Marina didn’t want a theme. Instead, her and her fiancé were seeking authenticity, with a desert backdrop, food and music – things the bride and groom love. What we came up with was a rather cool picnic among the sand dunes. We also added a touch of France with the Paris pillow, French cheeses and rustic dried flowers gently swaying from a tipi (created by Celebrations Event Management) in the desert breeze.
Below, we start with the most wonderful video by Renaud Santos Moro (with an awesome and very fitting song), followed by some of the images by Tasneem Photography. Bride-to-be Marina then gives us her take on the day and working with Tasneem, Renaud and myself.
Marina and her sweetheart are both originally from France, but live in Dubai. They will be getting married on 26July in the bride’s hometown of Auvergne. I was personally delighted to have assisted them with this special shoot, along with all the talented vendors who helped make it happen. They are deeply in love, and watching them together warmed the cockles of my heart.
From the bride-to-be
We wanted our pre-wedding shoot to focus on our life in Dubai. As we are getting married in the countryside surrounded by forest, we thought a desert shoot would be a great contrast. Rio from Bride Club ME helped interpret our ideas and this resulted in a desert picnic photo-shoot. Since we’re both romantics at heart, we wanted something that reflects this, without being too contrived or over the top.
The shoot was also a good way for us to get used to being photographed by Tasneem. Not only were all the vendors involved of great quality, but we also had an amazing time. Everything was arranged for us; all we had to do was turn up, and, as the bride-to-be, I felt like a princess.
We definitely recommend a pre-wedding photo-shoot for all brides and grooms-to-be. Working with Rio, her BCME vendors, Tasneem and Renault was awesome! A huge thanks to Tasneem for making it feel so special.
The starring cast
Set-up organisation: Rio at Bride Club ME // Location: Somewhere in the desert // Photographer: Tasneem Al Sultan // Videographer: Renaud Santos Moro and Niane De Sa // Marina’s hair and makeup: Make-Up By Dee & Dal // Arabic sweets and cupcakes: Gourmandise // Flowers, Moroccan tea set and Tipi: Celebrations Event Management // Cheese, cupcake pins, flowers, vases and cheese knives: The Rustic Bead // Shishas: Nahawand
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