Real Dubai Bride Maja Lunsjo: It’s The Final Countdown

We’ve followed her wedding planning journey since December last year when she described her surprise helicopter proposal, and in less than a week our real Dubai bride Maja Lunsjo will walk down the aisle and marry her fiancé Chris. With her big day now so close, we can sense Maja’s excitement, and to be honest, we can’t contain ours either! It has been a joy (and also incredibly informative) to live through this process with Maja; all the big decisions, the compromises and the ups and downs, and we wish both her and Chris an amazing day. Read on for Maja’s final diary entry and keep an eye out for her real wedding which we will be featuring on BCME very soon. Enjoy!

When I woke up this morning and looked at my wedding countdown, it said nine days to go. Nine days!!! We are officially down to single digits. To my surprise, the first feeling I felt was disappointment! Don’t get me wrong, I am so excited for this wedding. To be marrying Chris and to see all my friends and family, there is no doubt in my mind that this is going to be an amazing day. Still, I have to admit that I am absolutely dreading the wedding planning experience being over.

The past 18 months have been an absolute whirlwind of emotions and I have loved every single minute of it. I never knew how much I could care about linen colours or dance floor shapes until I became a bride-to-be. The hours spent scavenging the internet for unique, affordable décor or fussing over uneven edges on my invitations, and the long discussions with Chris about playlists and entertainment options; I have loved it all. I already know it is going to be perfect.

That being said, I would be foolish if I thought it is going to be a smooth ride. I have heard so many stories of brides stressing out on their wedding day because the hair and makeup overran, or they tried to do too much DIY and didn’t leave enough time to enjoy the day, or they felt they spent too long taking photos and not as much time as they would have liked with the guests.

So, in true ever-efficient Scandinavian spirit, I have made it my mission to produce the most time efficient and well-planned wedding day possible in order to minimise stress on the day and maximise our ability to spend time with our guests.

Whilst blogs and articles are a great source of advice, I have found the absolute best source of wedding planning wisdom to be other brides. So, in my pursuit of a fun, relaxed and enjoyable wedding day I have listened carefully and tried to implement as much advice as possible. My key takeaways are:

Timeline.

It has been said a million times but failing to plan truly means planning to fail. A good timeline is crucial in order to ensure every task has been properly delegated and everybody knows exactly what needs to be done and at what time. This includes everything from vendor arrivals to having a schedule of which bridesmaid should do their makeup in which order. Plan, plan, and plan some more. I have been so fortunate to have such an amazing wedding team behind me who have helped me nail down my timeline, including our photographer Maria Sundin who produced a really in-depth timeline for us with everything from when to put the dress on to when we should cut the first cake.

On the topic of photographers, getting your wedding photos are obviously extremely important but don’t let it take over your entire day. Chris and I both really wanted to be a part of the cocktail hour to maximise the time with our guests, so we have opted for an ever-efficient Swedish timeline whereby we will have our “first look” privately and take all of our photos before the ceremony, leaving plenty of time for cocktails and canapés afterwards.

Teamwork.

Which leads me nicely onto point two: get the best team you possibly can! I already wrote a whole post about whether or not to hire a wedding planner, but it has been the best decision Chris and I have made during the planning process. Dona and Rasha from The Purple Chair have been with us every step of the way with design ideas and I know that on my wedding morning I can give 100% attention to my bridesmaids whilst being completely confident that Dona and TPC team are taking care of all the arrangements at the venue.

Things will go wrong. It is a fact. All the planning in the world can’t stop bad weather, or a supplier truck from breaking down, or for a speaker not to work, etc. etc. The most important advice I have been given is to just let things go and remember that all we need are Chris and I there with the people who love us.

So here it goes. Next week I will be Mrs Davies and I cannot wait to share my day with you all in my next entry!

xX Maja Xx

Thank you Maja.We can’t wait to hear all about your wedding!