Get to know the wedding Pro!

Each week, we shine the spot light on our Bride Club ME vendor club members, allowing our readers to get up close and personal with some of the best wedding vendors in town.

Here, you can learn more about the people behind some of the businesses you may hire to help make your wedding day perfect!

This week we have the privilege of showcasing Clare Ebbs, wedding planner and founder of ‘The Perfect Moment’ Dubai. Clare provides us with exclusive insight into her wedding planning business and shares with us what she loves most about his job.

Left: Clare Ebbs – Wedding Planner and Founder of ‘The Perfect Moment’ 

• How long has your company been established and what do you do?  

I am a Dubai based wedding planner.  I started the company nearly 2 years ago as I realised shortly after my own wedding in October 2010 how challenging it can be organising a wedding if you are in a different country (I was living in Dubai and got married in the UK) or work hard in Dubai and don’t have time to research and meet suppliers.  I have always had a passion for weddings, so thought why not make a career out of what I love doing?

• What do you love most about your work?  

I love the bond that I create with my couples.  My role is to act as their ‘fairy godmother’ and bring all their wedding dreams to reality.  I love meeting different people with different views on the ‘perfect’ wedding day. A wedding is a very personal occasion and it is not for me to dictate what should be done, but to listen to the bride and groom’s thoughts and advise on how to make it work.

The best part of my job, without a doubt, has to be watching the bride walk towards the groom at the beginning of the wedding.  This is always an emotional moment and nine times out of ten I cry!

Above: Some of the happy couples Clare has worked with.

• Do you have any excit­ing projects com­ing up?  

Every wedding that I organise is exciting!  There are always challenges to overcome, and I thrive on that. It makes every day interesting!  I have a mixture of extravagant and intimate weddings coming up later this year, I can’t wait to be involved in them all. Rhiannon, the founder www.brideclubme.com and her fiancé Adam, have chosen me for ‘on the day’ wedding planning – I can’t wait for that.

• Do you have a favourite ceremony and / or reception location in the UAE?  

There are so many beautiful venues in the UAE, whether they are beach facing or surrounded by stunning gardens,  you will always get the picture perfect photographs with a wedding in Dubai. Of course we have gorgeous weather as a bonus, which makes my life a whole lot easier (very rarely do I have to look at the sky and pray for no rain!!!).

My favourite venue of the moment is the private villa at Kempinski hotel, the Palm.  It is truly stunning, and great for a wedding as you can party till the early hours.  My overall favourite group of venues is Madinat – there you will find Layali tent, shimmers, Fort Island, Magnolia and Al Qasr Platform.  The staff at Jumeirah Group is also a pleasure to work with.

Royal and Imperial 5-bedroom Dubai villas at Kempinski Hotel & Residences Palm Jumeirah

Madinat Jumeirah

• Describe your wedding planning style and approach to events.  

My approach to wedding planning in Dubai is very much the personal one.  I like to think I am the ‘people’s planner’ and give the best customer service possible. I want to treat couples in the same way I would want to be treated.  I like to meet the client to discuss their requirements and find how I can be of assistance.

It is quite normal for a bride to come to me and say ‘I think I know what I want but I don’t know how to bring it all together’….that’s where I come in. I will then draft a cost estimate for the couple, outlining all the elements that will be involved in their wedding day from the information they give me (date, guest numbers, suppliers they want etc) and from there my services will be contracted. From that moment on I will work with them all the way to bring their wedding dreams to reality.

One of Clare’s weddings – Photography Credit: DNA

• How can our readers (Brides) benefit from your service? 

I have 2 packages that I offer.

1:  Full Wedding Planning – This package includes an initial ‘getting to know you’ meeting and then I will draft an action plan to help us keep track of all the elements that need to be considered.  My service includes research, supplier negotiations and wedding management.  I will also be there on the wedding day to manage the logistics.

2:  On the day wedding planning – With this package I will meet the client a week before the wedding and go through the running order with them and the event team.  I will then take control of the suppliers and manage all the logistics on the day of the wedding.  This package is perfect for couples on a tight budget and also for couples that want to organise the wedding details themselves – but don’t want to be stressing about the details on their wedding day.

• If you could give one piece of advice to expat brides to-be, what would it be? 

Remember this is YOUR special day and it needs to be exactly as you want it.  Don’t feel pressured into inviting guests that may not be important to you (especially if you are paying the bill) or having a schedule for the day that makes you feel uncomfortable.  Enjoy every minute and of course hire a wedding planner so you don’t worry about anything on the day…you only get married once!

• Lastly, why did you choose to list with www.brideclubme.com?  

The vision of the Bride Club ME  team is very similar to mine.  We have the same work ethics, and believe in giving back to the people and sharing our expertise.  I believe it is important to listen to peoples stories. Even if they have a limited budget  I will  guide them – it is all about being thrifty. Brideclubme.com is there to guide people also…we make a great team and I am excited to part of such an exciting venture!

Thanks Clare. For more on ‘The Perfect Moment’, check out their Bride Club ME Vendor listing, or head straight to their website.

Keep an eye out for our recorded ‘Get to know the Wedding Pro!’ interviews coming soon on the BrideClubMETV  – Youtube channel!