Our Real Dubai Bride Michelle’s ‘DIY’ Boho-Arabic Wedding At Arabian Ranches Golf Club
Written by maha on February 3, 2019.
Tagged under: Arabian Ranches Golf Club, Our Real Dubai Bride Michelle’s Boho-Arabic Wedding At Arabian Ranches Golf Club, Real bride diary
If you cast your mind back to 2017 and the beginning of 2018, you may remember one of our real Dubai brides, Michelle Williams (now Alsagabi), who wrote monthly features documenting her wedding planning journey. Michelle was very much a hands on, DIY bride-to-be, and we are really excited to feature her March 2018 wedding today on BCME!
Utilising Bride Club ME as much as possible, Michelle found many of her vendors, including her venue, celebrant and photographer, via the site, and also found it a great source of inspiration throughout the planning process. We hope you enjoy learning more about Michelle’s gorgeous wedding, which was held at Arabian Ranches Golf Club, and that the accompanying images by Goldfish Photography inspire our newly-engaged readers, just as Michelle was inspired by those before her. Enjoy!
How did he propose?
It started off on Valentine’s Day 2017, when a huge bunch of red roses were sent to me at work. Sam and I had agreed that we weren’t doing presents that year, but I thought “Oh wow, how sweet of him,” and I was in love with the flowers. Little did I know he had a whole evening planned out!
I got home from work, and Sam told me to get ready as we were going out for dinner. We headed over to One & Only The Palm, where he had booked us a table at 101 Dining Lounge. I didn’t have a clue about the proposal but started questioning things when he seemed a little unsettled, once we’d arrived.
The question did cross my mind but I thought, “Nooooo, don’t be so stupid!” Once we settled in, had a glass of wine and our starter, I noticed that Sam had been going out to have a cigarette a lot more than usual. When he came in, we ordered the main course, and before it had arrived, he got down on one knee in the restaurant, told me all the reasons why he loved me and how much he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me, took out the box and placed a beautiful engagement ring on my finger. I couldn’t believe this was happening! When I said yes, the restaurant guests and staff all stood up to cheer and clap! I was so overwhelmed and in shock, but it was so beautiful, and I’ll be forever thankful for that.
Did you decide on a wedding theme? If so, talk us through your choice…
We wanted an elegant, rustic theme with a twist of Sam’s Arabic culture included.
Tell us about the wedding cake….
The wedding cake was something I designed solely alone. I wanted a bit of both aspects involved, so it combined boho-rustic with Arabic features. The lady who made our cake did a great job and it was delicious!
Let’s talk wedding gowns. Where did you buy your dream gown?
After searching and looking here there and everywhere, I actually saw a dress for sale on the Shedd app. The lady had unfortunately never been able to wear her dress and wanted it gone immediately. I went over to her place on The Palm and she helped me try it on. I just knew there and then that it was the one! The fitting, shape, colour, texture…everything! I went for a few adjustments and loved wearing the dress on the day, for me it was the perfect gown and an absolute bargain!
Most enjoyable part of the planning process…
Working alongside Rhiannon and her many vendors at Bride Club ME was a real highlight. Theresa, our wedding Celebrant, was absolutely amazing. We felt at home with her straight away and from the time we met to the big day she was (and still is) very much involved in our lives. She’s a very genuine, sweet soul who has a big passion for love and marriage, which we loved dearly! We worked with many other members of Bride Club such as Goldfish Photography & Video; they were amazing and gave us everything we’d asked for!
Most testing part of the wedding planning process as an expat bride…
Arranging accommodation for family and friends was tough as everyone wanted to stay with us, and we already had family staying with us six weeks prior to the wedding so the build-up was hard to cope with. I love my own space and felt totally overwhelmed with having people under our feet for so long! We love our family dearly and enjoy their company but when you’re organising a wedding, it can all get a bit too much!
Top three tips for a bride-to-be…
Arrange a wedding planner – never do it alone. It’s a big task and extremely stressful, speaking from my experience with only 60 guests.
Things are bound to go wrong, so don’t dwell on it too much and enjoy being in the moment because it goes so quickly. Take a 10-15min break away somewhere with your new hubby to be in each other’s company.
Don’t have too many people around you when you’re getting ready, it can be really quite stressful!
How did you use Bride Club ME in the planning process?
Not only did I document and post every single part of our journey on Bride Club ME, but we had the pleasure of founder Rhiannon and husband Adam as guests on our big day!
I personally used the website in whichever way I could, and as an expat bride arranging her own wedding, it was such a big help! Rio’s nickname was my ‘Fairy Bride Mother’ and she was absolutely amazing. The vendors were efficient, helpful, and delivered in more ways than one! Rio and her team were amazing and went above and beyond to make sure our needs and wants were met. We honestly cannot thank them enough and highly recommend Bride Club ME for any newly engaged or soon-to-be bride for that one stop shop where you’re able to get in contact with people from all aspects of the wedding industry; it’s just incredible!
A big Thank you to the Bride Club ME family, we wish you all the best for the future and would like to thank you for all of your help, support, advice, and more.
xX Mr & Mrs Alsagabi Xx
The Bride’s Little Pink Book
Venue: Arabian Ranches Golf Club / Wedding Celebrant: Theresa D Celebrant / Photography: Goldfish Photography & Video / Favours: Candylicious
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