It’s smart to hire a wedding planner. On a day when so much potentially can go wrong, it’s a relief to have someone whose sole responsibility is to make sure everything runs smoothly. Here, our very own Expert Panel member, wedding planner and founder of The Perfect Moment Dubai,  Clare Ebbs, offers her top 10 tips for expat brides to-be. Looking for an amazing planner near you? Search our Vendor Club .

Top 10 Tips for Getting Married in Dubai 

1. Think carefully about the guest list, don’t feel pressured into inviting long lost relatives just to please others

2. Sit with your partner and write a list of the wedding elements that are important to you (eg: photographs and video) and budget more for these and you can then cost save in other areas (eg: favours, flowers, stationary)

3. Have a pair of sandals / flip flops under your table ready for the dancing later on – expensive wedding shoes can look amazing but don’t always give ‘comfort’

4. Make sure you check the dates for any public holidays and Islamic celebrations that may mean the day will be dry – no live music and no alcohol can lead to a quiet wedding!

5. Make the day personal to you both – think of your ‘favourites’ like songs, places, foods and incorporate them into your wedding day

6. Be thrifty with your favours – a bag of chocs, homemade cookies, Dubai postcard and Dubai souvenirs are all lovely cost effective ideas

7. Instead of an MC ask a best man, usher or close friend to do the job – we all have a friend that loves to talk and the bonus is they will have met most guests before

8. Make time to go and talk to each table during the dinner, this is a great way of showing your appreciation whilst groups are together and then you can focus on the dancing later!

9. Have a wet weather plan (yes it can rain in Dubai sometimes). Most venues will provisionally book a ballroom or restaurant for you as a contingency plan if you are celebrating outside

10. Just enjoy it – embrace the moment and hire a Wedding Planner to deal with the stress so you don’t have to!

BONUS TIP: Why not create an on line gift registry for free with mylist.ae? If you have guests coming to Dubai from overseas this will save them the hassle of carrying and packing gifts. The up side is, you also get to pick and choose gifts you need or prefer.

Clare Ebbs (centre) Dubai based wedding planner with The founders of Mylist.ae Maurine Lombart and Julie Leblan (right and left)