A Thunder Storm Wedding in Dubai | {Part Two: Dinner, Family, Bride & Groom, Party}
Written by on January 31, 2014.
Tagged under: DUBAI WEDDING, Desert Palm, Getting married in Dubai, Outdoor Wedding, Part Two, Real Wedding, Rios wedding, Thunder Storm Wedding, Weddings in Dubai, wedding venue dubai
A Thunder Storm Wedding in Dubai | {Part Two}
Following on from part one of a thunderstorm wedding in Dubai, I am now going to talk you through the second part of our special day, captured in images by Goldfish Photography and Video.
Once our Ceremony was over, during our cocktail hour, Adam and I headed down to the polo field opposite the hotel. While the grass was wet, it wasn’t full of muddy puddles (due to the morning storm) like the original areas, we chose for our bride and groom pictures. We played around and had fun during the shoot, but I must admit I was a poor model that day, preferring to run back to our guests and mingle.
We had some shots taken with our loved ones, and as we were getting into the flow of it all, it started to rain again, so we all headed back to the shelter ready to move on to dinner.
The dinner area was set up outside, by the hotel pool, but was still sheltered from the elements. The ambient soft pink lighting and neo soul music playing as we entered was magical. Adam and I put real effort into choosing our wedding sound track throughout the day, and every song had meaning to us. Many of our guests complimented the music. So much so, that we sent them all CD’s with music from our day, along with their thank you cards.
Since we are not really a formal couple, we chose to have a BBQ and live cooking stations, instead of a set dinner. We also figured that our international guests would appreciate a BBQ in Dubai. The food was absolutely incredible, I just regret not having more, lol…I could barely sit down in my dress.
Adam and I chose to have a ‘sweetheart’ table as opposed to a head table. This resolved issues with divorced parents and also gave us a little time together in the midst of it all.
Before we all sat down to eat, our wedding MC, Young Roge, announced the cutting of the cake, which was then taken to the ballroom to be eaten for dessert. Young Roge was MC throughout the duration of our wedding, guiding guests during the various wedding stages, making key announcements, such as the first dance, speeches and cutting of the cake, and generally kept the event on a smooth run.
Once our guests has settled down with food on their plates and a drink in their hands, the speeches began. First up was my dad, who had flown in from Wiltshire, UK. I was a little hesitant to be honest and nervous for his speech, as we have some family history that I will not go into here, and my parents are divorced. But in the end, he did a sterling job, evoking tears and laughter from us all.
And then came my lovely Adam. He rambled, as he does, but was really sweet and thoughtful, telling tales of when we met and how we have grown over the five years of our relationship and time in Dubai. I think he did a fine job, it’s not easy this speech malarkey.
Next up was Adam’s best man, who had everyone in stitches with his controversial sense of humour and witty jokes…and finally, me. I decided to say a few words and thank those who had made the long trip out to celebrate our special day.
Once all the speeches had been made, our MC directed all the guests through to the ball room for the ‘rave themed’ after party. Aside from the ceremony, this was the part I was looking forward to most, a chance to let our hair down after months of planning, and really enjoy ourselves.
Awaiting the guests in the ball room, was DJ Sister Rock, a photo-booth by social booth and a plethora of yummy deserts. Our guests went ahead of us, giving Adam and me a few minutes to quickly rehearse our first dance. We entered he ballroom to the Rocky film tune, with a slide show of funny pictures from the past playing in the background (cheesy, I know, but a wedding has to have a little cheese, he-he!).
The biggest surprise of the night, was our special performance by Mike Jack, the Middle East’s leasing Michael Jackson impersonator, who burst in half way through our first dance (it was all staged). Our guests loved him and he wowed us all with his MJ moves.
And finally, before DJ Sister Rock continued rocking the dance floor, my maid of honour and bridesmaid, Patricia and Emma of Red N Pink, performed a song they had written especially for Adam and I. It was so special to have the people we love sing at our wedding.
It was the best day of my life, everything was perfect, rain and all. The memories will live on forever, through these pictures and in mine and Adams hearts. I would also like to thank all the vendors (listed below) who helped make our wedding happen, we think you are awesome!
Log in on the 5th February for the final part of ‘A Thunder Storm Wedding in Dubai’ where I will be talking about my wedding DIY, the details, offering tips, as well as posting our wedding highlight video.
Rio’s Little Pink Book (Suppliers used)
Wedding Venue and Catering: Desert Palm Retreat, Dubai // On The Day Coordinator: Clare Ebbs from The Perfect Moment, Dubai // Main Photographer: Goldfish Photography & Video // Set-up Photographer: Enchante Studios // Wedding Videographers: Morning Jacket Films // Wedding Dress: Maggie Sottero from The Bridal Room, Dubai // Wedding Hair & Make-up (bride): Makeup by Dee and Dal // Wedding Make-up (bridesmaids): // Celebrant: Toni Bloodworth-Barker // Wedding Flowers: Vintage Bloom // Wedding Invites: Studio Sol Stationery, Dubai // On the day stationery: (name tags, table numbers, favor bag tags, seating plan): Creative Box // Other Paper Signage: Maha Ibrahim // Bridesmaids dresses: Moirai Style // Groom & Grooms Men Suit and Waist Coats: Collars and Cuffs //Grooms Men Cufflinks: Mr Beaujangles // Groom & Groomsmen Bowtie/ties: Moirai style // Wedding Cake:SUGARology // DJ: DJ Sister Rock // MC: Young Roge // Cocktail Hour Singer: Ciaran Fox // Caricature Artist: Matt Ryder Caricature // Michael Jackson impersonator: Mike Jack // Guest Singers: Red N Pink Music // Photo-booth: The Social Booth // Wedding Rings: CARA Jewelers (The Gold and Diamond Park/Dubai) and GLAMOUR Jewelers (The Gold and Diamond Park/Dubai) // Wedding Furniture rentals: Catertainment // Wedding Décor bits and bobs (White vintage tables, hanging lanterns, tea favors): Celebrations Event Management // Wedding favors: Sourced from various locations – Favor bags from I Gifts JTL, Arabic favors from Dragon Mart, English Tea favors from Celebrations, wooden elephants from Srilanka, supplied by my grandmother, Italian favors supplied by my mother in law.
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