It's the 1st April 2020 and our little world has been turned upside down by a virus. When I read that weddings and events had been cancelled for a few weeks my heart broke, 4 weeks ago I don't think anyone would of thought this virus would be the reason out lives have dramatically changed. Events cancelled, ok that sucks, school cancelled for a few weeks... hmm ok. But it's got worse. Fast forward a few weeks and things have escalated and we are staying at home, keeping our distance and self isolating. The economy is crashing, people are dying and quite frankly it's so overwhelming I can't get my head around it. I'm having weird dreams almost every night, my mind is consumed by the COVID 19 ... read more
My favorite family photos by Chloe Lodge – Part 1.
The first time I met Chloe, Adeline was about 6 months old and she offered to take some photos of us. I was dreading having my photo taken because I was still carrying a lot of extra baby weight and just didn't feel great, but I am so so glad I did the shoot because these images are the most precious things to me in the world. These gorgeous photographs are moments captured by someone who has an artistic eye and sees things a little differently to the rest of us. It's magic and right now I feel like I want to share some of my magic. I know we are all stuck at home, self isolating so maybe, just maybe a few cute baby pictures will brighten up your day? If you're in the process of getting ... read more
Throwback to this gorgeous small wedding at Ritz Carlton JBR, Dubai.
I remember this wedding being one of my first destination weddings and I absolutely loved it. I was so lucky that the couple trusted me with everything. They lived in Europe and were flying out to Dubai to get married. I provided them with a mood board, a budget and my they rolled with it. It made me realize that having your clients trust is one of the most important things, and since then I vowed to work my butt off to make each wedding as pretty as can be. I hope you like wedding as much as I do. My lovely bride added small picture frames to her bouquet with family members that are no longer with us. It was a beautiful touch. ... read more
26 fun things you should know about Mona (our stationery wizard)
Morning lovelies. It's another day in lock down and I am trying to maintain some sort of work routine for a few hours each morning. I don't know about you but I just can't seem to focus on anything else but the C word. Earlier I walked across the road and walked around the Starbucks drive thru. I'm pretty sure the lady behind thought I was a little mad but at east I moved my legs and I got coffee. ;-) Anyway, today I'm sharing Mona's answers to our silly questions. Happy reading everyone! Mona at one of our weddings last November - Photo by Nabeela Huda 1.At which store would you like to max-out your credit card Unique Vintage and Collectif, I may have not quite needed the candyfloss ... read more
26 fun things you should know about Joelle at MLW.
Just because we are silly and you don't have much to do right now... Joelle + Kara... a few years back. 1. At which store would you like to max-out your credit card? & Other stories. I adore everything they sell and I haven't been shopping in so long. 2. What are you watching right now? The Sinner season 3 and Nathan and I just started watching the documentary 'Tiger King'. It's so strange. I hate the animal cruelty but the guys are so weird its fascinating. 3. What was your favorite TV show when growing up? I watched Mary Poppins on repeat. The Little Mermaid was also a favorite, and Top Gun. 4. Choose a movie title for the story ... read more
A personal ramble about podcasts and dream clients.
Recently I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching, not just about who I am but where I see MLW going and what makes us ‘us’. I’ve been trying to educate myself on marketing and I’m trying so much harder on social media, something that doesn’t come easy for me. It’s strange because I can happily pour my heart out on my blog, but Instagram feels so real, and in your face. Part of my new self education is listening to podcasts, and I'm about to sit down and dive into the world of youtube. Now that the world is on pause, and we are at home all day, apart from the daily walk up the road I have some time to focus on learning. Podcasts I love. The two podcasts I listen to frequently ... read more
Lets talk about Weddings in Dubai.
As you all know we are in the middle of the Coronavirus outbreak and right now (Its March 19th 2020) we are taking it easy, staying at home and all events and weddings have been canceled until the end of the month. My work load sudden decreased with weddings postponed and meetings canceled, so I have decided to blog. I'm also going to be decluttering shelfs, cooking and if my kids aren't watching I may even get to watch some trashy tv before lunch. Anyway... lets continue. Katie + Jon - Laughing so hard they actually cried. - Photography by Bernie + Bindi You may be wondering... how big is my wedding? Is 50 guests small? Is 100 guests small? Good question. With our wonderful industry ... read more
The way he looks at her…
What's my favorite part of a wedding ceremony? It's not the flowers, or the beautifully styled arch that stands perfectly behind the groom as he waits for his bride. It's the part when she walks in, everyone stands to watch her entrance and its at that moment I turn to look at him. It's a smile that you can't quite explain. It makes my heart melt, and more often than not I end up with tears falling down my cheeks as I watch the crowd smile and celebrate the love that brought them together for this one special day. K & J - Jumeirah Al Qasr Dubai Wedding Videography from Morning Jacket Films on Vimeo. At Katie and Jon's wedding last December I stood on the steps at Magnolia and ... read more
Creating magic with The Big Proposals. (The only way to propose in Dubai)
Back in December I was invited to join forces with some extremely talented wedding industry friends. My friend Rio, founder of Bride Club ME has the mastermind behind The Big Proposals. A new service that produces WOW proposals in Dubai. Designed to help the man that adores his lady but needs a little help making the one question... 'will you marry me' come to life. So what do you do when you're just getting started? You create an epic shoot which allows us to show you whats possible!! I love styled shoots for this reason... fueling the imagination with what could be. So here it is... Dubai Proposal at Melia Desert Palm hotel from Sergio Bonitti on Vimeo. THE ... read more
I HAVE THE MOST LOVELY BRIDES…
“Once we decided to do our wedding in Dubai, the next step was to look for a planner and I think I went into shock at the prices I was receiving for what I thought was a simple and elegant wedding. Dubai is insane! Feeling distraught and quite hopeless, my husband and I were searching online for other potentials and we stumbled upon My Lovely Wedding. Something instantly felt right, and it was “love at first click” we had found “the one” hehe. I emailed Joelle, and we started talking and there is something about her that just immediately puts you at ease, like she understands you. We flew to Dubai and met Joelle at Ping Pong in Dubai Mall, we chatted and I felt so at ease, she made ... read more