Behind the Scenes at Bride Club ME ~ Dec 2014

Hello lovelies, HAPPY NEW YEAR and a warm welcome to all our new readers. I am pretty sure there were a few surprise proposals over the festive period and if you’ve just stumbled across our little website, I hope it brings you some comfort during the planning process.

I have recently returned from a much-needed break in Sri Lanka, the Indian Ocean’s spellbinding island jewel. What an amazing time we had – all 20 of us! Despite tropical thunderstorms, it was a holiday I will never forget and I’ve come home feeling rejuvenated, ready to take on 2015 with positivity and lots of inspiration. I will be posting all about my trip on my personal blog later this week.

Today, I bring you my monthly behind-the-scenes update, albeit a little late. December was quiet on the event front due to Christmas and many people leaving for their annual breaks. But that didn’t stop us from holding The Engage Academy’s second event, in conjunction with Bride Club ME’s second anniversary. If you are unfamiliar with The Engage Academy, you can read more here.

The event, which took place in a private villa, was a relaxed affair. I wanted to provide a space for our loyal BCME vendors to network in a chilled environment as they said goodbye to 2014 and celebrated two years since Bride Club ME launched in 2012. We laughed and I cried – yup, I teared up when giving a speech (apologies to those who witnessed the blubbering). But it was hard not to get emotional when I saw how many talented and supportive wedding pros were there, all of whom had worked incredibly hard to set up their businesses. I am extremely grateful for all the support they have shown me since Bride Club ME was conceived.

Today, I would like to thank the following wedding vendors for making our event a huge success. Firstly, a big thank you to gift registry company Mylist.ae for sponsoring the occasion. Julie, the founder of Mylist.ae, has always been an inspiration to me with her work ethic and dedication to her clients, and, I am proud to say, she is also a long-term BCME advertiser.

Scattered around the event venue were motivational, entrepreneur quotes, designed and created by the talented Ritu over at Creative Box. Ritu also designed the vendors’ lanyards, which clearly stated their job titles, making striking up a conversation and networking that much easier. Check out Creative Box if you’re looking for a wedding stationery designer for your big day.

For lighting up the venue and adding that special touch with floral decor and lanterns, a big thank you goes to Celebrations Event Management. Ayah and her husband Amr are a credit to the wedding planning industry here in Dubai; I worked with them for my own wedding and cannot fault their attention to detail, timeliness and creativity.

I’m also very grateful to Innovative Hiring, who recently joined the BCME vendor club and provided chill-out garden furniture, a stylish bar and food stand, as well as my favourite furniture items – the gold oil drums. I absolutely adore the unique pieces Innovative Hiring has in its inventory, so check them out here if you’re looking for something special for your own wedding or event.

To feed our hungry vendors, recently launched Elements Catering provided canapés, bowls and bigger bites – my favourite being the mouthwatering chicken and chips. The Elements chefs and catering staff were highly professional, going above and beyond with their attentiveness and attention to detail. The food went down a treat with everyone in attendance and I will most certainly be using them again for future events. For those looking for a caterer for their own private event or intimate wedding, Elements Catering will soon be joining the BCME vendor club and you can check their profile out soon.

My favourite cake ladies, the Gourmelicious girls, created a beautiful, show-stopper cake for our anniversary and it was scrumptious. The filling, a mixture of carrot cake and chocolate, was to die for!

Pumping the tunes during the evening was DJ Sister Rock (Ananda), another long-term BCME vendor and now one of my good friends. Ananda has DJ’d at the weddings of countless BCME readers and never disappoints. Her sidekick Ali does a sterling job too.

A massive thank you to The Studio for papping the evening and capturing the event with their photography talents. The Studio also specialises in wedding photography and you can read their BCME vendor profile here. For videography, the lovely Greggy from Morning Jacket Films will be sending us the edited video very soon, and I cannot wait to see it and share it with you all.

Last but not least, a big thanks goes out to our giveaway sponsors, LUSH and Candid Kama Photography, who provided fragrant bath bombs and special gift vouchers for business portraits. Oh, and I must not forget to thank team BCME, including Maha, our designer, for assisting during the event and designing the awesome welcome board at the venue entrance.

It was a great evening and I was especially proud to reveal which long-term BCME vendors had received the most positive real bride testimonials on their vendor club listings during 2014. Each vendor was awarded a special certificate of recognition. In no particular order, the winners were:

♡ Photography: (Joint winners) Goldfish Photography & Video and Maria Sundin Photography

♡ Videography: Deneemotion Boutique Wedding Cinema+Photo 

♡ Makeup: Make-Up By Dee & Dal

♡ Bridal attire: Moirai Style

♡ Wedding stationery: Creative Box

♡ Wedding entertainment (DJ): DJ Sister Rock

♡ Wedding & events planners: Fabulous Day Weddings & Events

♡ Overall winner of 2014: Moirai Style

Massive congratulations to all the above vendors. We look forward to seeing lots more testimonials on the site soon. 

2014 was a busy but productive year and I cannot wait to update you on all that we have in store for 2015. We have some big announcements coming soon, but I have to stay tight-lipped for the time being. Stay tuned.

Ciao for now,

Tune in next month, when I give you the behind the scenes lowdown on Bride Club ME’s events and adventures in January.