Hello lovely readers –
In my last blog I told you about My Lovely Wedding Day (which you can read here) and I promised I’d tell you all about the details of my wedding day in Dubai to help you plan yours sooooooo here I am to deliver. I’ve also included a few of my top tips at the end so hopefully they come in useful for you! If you do have any questions I am always happy to help so feel free to comment on this post or send a note through the blog 🙂
P.S. All my vendors are Dubai-based with the exception of the bridemaid dresses which were ordered online.
Here you go…
The Dress: Little Mistress @ DebenhamsÂ
I wanted something simple and this was actually really hard to find in Dubai – it’s either big princess ballgown or a beach coverup when it comes to looking for a white dress ! Anyone else had this? After scouring the whole of Dubai we found what we wanted in Debenhams in Mall of the Emirates where my Mum and I both fell in love with a pale pink goddess style dress. I tried it on and the rest was history! |Â Visit Debenhams Middle East on Facebook here
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Bridesmaid Dresses:Â Tiffany Rose Maternity
This was a bit of a complicated situation – I had two sisters who were both pregnant and Joelle so I had to find something that worked for everyone. We opted for the online option and I let the Mamas-to-be pick something they were comfortable in (since I have no idea what is comfortable when you’re pregnant!). This dress was great as it it didn’t look like too obviously like a maternity dress and all the girls said it was so easy to wear. | Find these on tiffanyrose.com
This was a bit of a complicated situation – I had two sisters who were both pregnant and Joelle so I had to find something that worked for everyone. We opted for the online option and I let the Mamas-to-be pick something they were comfortable in (since I have no idea what is comfortable when you’re pregnant!). This dress was great as it it didn’t look like too obviously like a maternity dress and all the girls said it was so easy to wear. | Find these on tiffanyrose.com
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The Flowers: Vintage Bloom
I have read nothing but great things about Vintage Bloom on MLW and they were my first choice when it came to flowers for my big day. It meant so much to me that they were tried and tested already and made my decision so much easier. It also just shows how valuable blogs like My Lovely Wedding are to brides like me, just saying. Thankfully I have an amazing friend in Joelle who organized them all for me. | Find these on vintage-bloom.com
I have read nothing but great things about Vintage Bloom on MLW and they were my first choice when it came to flowers for my big day. It meant so much to me that they were tried and tested already and made my decision so much easier. It also just shows how valuable blogs like My Lovely Wedding are to brides like me, just saying. Thankfully I have an amazing friend in Joelle who organized them all for me. | Find these on vintage-bloom.com
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Make Up: Monica with Blush Beauty Inc.Â
I didn’t have any time for a makeup trial before my wedding (I wouldn’t recommend this if you can avoid it!) so I was thrilled when Monica said she was free to do makeup for me and my bridesmaids. I had met Monica a few times with Joelle and loved her vibe and her work on MLW. It gave me the perfect look and it felt SO natural which was exactly what I wanted. | Visit Blush Beauty Inc on Facebook here.
I didn’t have any time for a makeup trial before my wedding (I wouldn’t recommend this if you can avoid it!) so I was thrilled when Monica said she was free to do makeup for me and my bridesmaids. I had met Monica a few times with Joelle and loved her vibe and her work on MLW. It gave me the perfect look and it felt SO natural which was exactly what I wanted. | Visit Blush Beauty Inc on Facebook here.
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Hair: My Be Bar – Blow Dry Salon
This was one of the funnest parts of the day! We took over the whole place and the lovely girls at Be Bar totally looked after us and made us all feel super special. Not to mention everyone’s hair looked amazing the WHOLE day – I mean literally until 1:30am! The below right picture is still the picture I show hairdressers when they ask me how I want my hair – ahhh the magic Andrea touch! | Find Andrea and her amazing team at mybebar.com
This was one of the funnest parts of the day! We took over the whole place and the lovely girls at Be Bar totally looked after us and made us all feel super special. Not to mention everyone’s hair looked amazing the WHOLE day – I mean literally until 1:30am! The below right picture is still the picture I show hairdressers when they ask me how I want my hair – ahhh the magic Andrea touch! | Find Andrea and her amazing team at mybebar.com
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Photography: Mark Darby
My English gentleman of a brother-in-law kindly offered his DLSR and mad skills to take photos for us. Thank you bro!
**Sorry my brother-in-law is not available for hire! But if you have any photographers in your friends/family this is great job for them 🙂 **
My English gentleman of a brother-in-law kindly offered his DLSR and mad skills to take photos for us. Thank you bro!
**Sorry my brother-in-law is not available for hire! But if you have any photographers in your friends/family this is great job for them 🙂 **
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The Music
We love country music (yee-haw!) and we listen to it all the time at home so when it came to our music choices there was really no question:
Hey Pretty Girl by Kip Moore (walking down the aisle)
Check Yes or No by George Strait (signing the registry)
I Want Crazy by Hunter Hayes (walking out)
We love country music (yee-haw!) and we listen to it all the time at home so when it came to our music choices there was really no question:
Hey Pretty Girl by Kip Moore (walking down the aisle)
Check Yes or No by George Strait (signing the registry)
I Want Crazy by Hunter Hayes (walking out)
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Cake:
We were lucky enough to have two cakes for our big day!
Hummingbird Bakery:Â A gorgeous pink (to match my dress obviously!) Mr & Mrs Wynn Cake from my Mama which we cut in my Mum’s garden – and most importantly it was chocolate mmmmm so good (and the groom’s favourite)!
Gourmelicious: This was an amazing surprise from Joelle! It was decorated with pearls (I gave a pearl necklace to each of my bridesmaids to wear on the day), blue lines (the colour of my bridesmaids dresses) and a big beautiful pink flower and ribbon to match my dress and my flowers. Now there’s attention to detail if I’ve ever seen it | Find this at hummingbirdbakery.com or visit Gourmelicious on Facebook here.
We were lucky enough to have two cakes for our big day!
Hummingbird Bakery:Â A gorgeous pink (to match my dress obviously!) Mr & Mrs Wynn Cake from my Mama which we cut in my Mum’s garden – and most importantly it was chocolate mmmmm so good (and the groom’s favourite)!
Gourmelicious: This was an amazing surprise from Joelle! It was decorated with pearls (I gave a pearl necklace to each of my bridesmaids to wear on the day), blue lines (the colour of my bridesmaids dresses) and a big beautiful pink flower and ribbon to match my dress and my flowers. Now there’s attention to detail if I’ve ever seen it | Find this at hummingbirdbakery.com or visit Gourmelicious on Facebook here.
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Venues:Â
Christchurch Jebel Ali: These guys are the best! They made everything so easy for us and I couldn’t be more grateful.
christchurchjebeliali.com
Christchurch Jebel Ali: These guys are the best! They made everything so easy for us and I couldn’t be more grateful.
christchurchjebeliali.com
My Mum’s Garden: I’m afraid this venue isn’t for rent hehe but seriously I loved coming home to my Mum’s house. It felt so comfortable and relaxed and with it being such a big day it was perfect to come home to the familiar. I would highly recommend this if you have any loved ones who are happy to play host!
 
Maya by Richard Sandoval: As I mentioned in my last post, Patrick and I started doing date nights at Maya from as early as our first few months of dating and we have celebrated everything from birthdays to promotions here. I absolutely love the menu and it was gorgeous to sit out in the cool December weather. The team also looked after us to a tee  – two thumbs up!
maya-dubai.com
maya-dubai.com
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Styling: Lovely Styling
Need I say more? You guys know how amazing Joelle’s work is. Joelle was super generous in lending her time to help my Mum jazz up her garden for the reception and made it look absolutely beautiful complete with lovely linens, candles and gorgeous flower arrangements. We also rented some fab (and affordable) cocktails from The Event Company. Thanks Jojo! |Â lovelystyling.com
Need I say more? You guys know how amazing Joelle’s work is. Joelle was super generous in lending her time to help my Mum jazz up her garden for the reception and made it look absolutely beautiful complete with lovely linens, candles and gorgeous flower arrangements. We also rented some fab (and affordable) cocktails from The Event Company. Thanks Jojo! |Â lovelystyling.com
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From one bride to another…my top tips:
- Keep an open mind! The only thing I knew what I wanted for my dress was for it to be “goddess style” and the first one I saw was a pale pink. While I wouldn’t have gone out looking for a pale pink dress to wear on my wedding day it worked perfectly with my colouring and I felt amazing in it rather than forcing the issue in something that “didn’t quite work” just because it was white.
- Ask for help! I have an overwhelming sense of responsibility to do everything myself but all of my loved ones were SO happy to help and if anything I wished I asked them sooner. Likelihood is they will feel honoured to have a task and be able to contribute so don’t be shy.
- If at all possible, choose people and places you know and have been going to for a long time e.g. your regular hairdresser or your favourite restaurant . Not only did this make me feel more relaxed on the day but I had so much fun through the whole process. For example when it came to hair, Andrea has been doing my hair for years and is a family friend so it was super special to be able to share this moment with her and be myself.
-  Don’t sweat the small stuff. I ended up having a little meltdown the day before because I was getting too wrapped up in all the details. It doesn’t matter if you get the wrong nail colour, or if  your husband’s tie is EXACTLY the right shade to match the dress. Seriously who’s going to notice? Literally the most important thing is that you and your partner are in love and are saying your vows to each other. The rest will fall into place.
With love from your bride-to-be,
Amy
