Pre-Wedding Shoot At Bab Al Shams

Today’s post leaves me breathless: how utterly gorgeous is that red dress? UAE-based photographer Joem Aldea submitted this beauty to BCME last month and we fell in love at first site. The couple, Jen and Ashley, both expats in Dubai, are marrying this month in Melbourne, Australia.

Their love story started on one of the UAE’s favourite social media platforms, Instagram, how awesome is that? They went into the desert to celebrate their engagement with an exquisite photoshoot amid the sand dunes and we are delighted to share the final images with you today. Here, Joem gives us his take on photographing the loved-up husband and wife to-be!

A Note From The Photographer

Above: UAE-based photographer Joem Aldea

Jen and Ashley contacted me to set a meeting to discuss their ideas for a pre-wedding shoot in the UAE. As I later found out, Jen, a flight attendant, spends most of her days in Dubai trying to recover from eternal jetlag and living in a bathrobe. On days she feels more human, she eats at her favourite restaurant, Social House, enjoys getting pampered at the salons, and delights in doing the washing (where lots of money is often found in Ashley’s trousers!). Ha! 

Ashley was born in Kent and raised in Surrey, both in the UK. He moved to the Middle East in 2005 and to Dubai in 2012, where he works in the oil and gas industry. If Jen is travelling, he hangs out with their cheeky Persian cat Koshi when he gets home from work, often getting bitten and scratched! His love for sports means continuous F1 and Premier League TV. When Jen arrives back in Dubai, he picks up the wet towels she leaves around the house, perfects his dance moves and cooks delicious meals.

After hitting it off straight away, I met with Jen and Ashley a few weeks later to photograph their engagement shoot. The chosen location was among the gorgeous sand dunes at Bab Al Shams. It was a trek from the city, but worth it as we were lucky enough to get some beautiful sunset shots too. Ashley’s smart suit and Jen’s stunning red dress complemented the sandy area and created a dramatic effect. Their happy personalities created natural and sincere emotions that were captured in the photos. It was a delight to work with Jen and Ashley and I wish them all the best for their wedding later this month.

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