Reem & David are the sweetest couple. When I first met Reem over lunch at Social House I knew instantly we’d be friends. She came to me looking for a little help styling her wedding. With the big things booked up, all that remained was the stationery, the flowers and general decor. She has a few ideas but together we worked on a more detailed design and got in touch with Sanjay at Firenze Flora for the flowers, which paid a huge part in the wedding decor.
The Wedding…
We got married on the 17 April 2015 at Magnolia, Al Qasr – Dubai. Only 100 guests attend which was the perfect number for us.
The Planning process…
David and I divided responsibilities: I was in charge of the wedding, and David was in charge of the honeymoon. I started planning for the wedding around 7 months before the big day. The first major decision we made was on the venue. After this we concentrated on the major items – the photographers, the dress, the food, the invitation cards, and the music. After a couple of months I met the very creative Joelle who worked miracles with the styling.
Budget…
When we first started the planning, we had a budget in mind and eventually on the weeks leading up to the wedding we noticed that the budget had actually doubled! (Oops!).. Now when we look back at our wedding day, we know it was totally worth it and we won’t change a thing!
The Dress + Accessories…
The dress is Monique Lhuillier Azure wedding dress…My shoes are blue Badgley Mischka “Hollie” pumps…The jewlery I wore on the day was a gift from my parents..The engagement and wedding rings are from Cara (Gold and diamond park)
Finding the dress…
I looked at many bridal boutiques in Dubai and just when I was going to lose hope on finding anything here, I found my dress at Esposa (in Jumeirah).. My maid of honor was the first one to see the dress and we both fell in love with it.. It’s the perfect classic with a twist dress…
Groom’s attire…
David and the best man got their three-piece suits tailor made in Dubai… He wore a tie from Ermenegildo Zegna, Hugo Boss shirt and shoes.
The Readings + Music…
I entered the ceremony on the very lovely music “Now we are free” from the Gladiator movie and during the ceremony, my very close friend Ghadi read a very beautiful passge on love from “The prophet” by Gebran Khalil Gebran… Helen Schrader, our celebrant read many beautiful lines during the ceremony…
We entered the reception for the first time as Mr& Mrs Warham on “Kids” for MGMT.. We had very talented musicians in the wedding from two bands (Arabic and English) from “Mojos productions”.. The bands performed music throughout the night and DJ Joe played our favorite tunes until the early morning hours.
Beautiful bridesmaids…
I asked my very beautiful best friend Nour to be my maid of honor.. She looked stunning in her green dress. We also had two flower girls, India and Amy who looked super cute on the day.
The Flowers…
Sanjay from Firenze Flora has exceeded all expectations with the flowers.. From the centerpieces to the bouquets to the small flower arrangements around the venue…We loved it all.. Our centerpiece was a mix of white hydrangea, gypsophila, white roses and ivy.
The Cake…
We wanted a simple cake that matches the theme of the wedding..The cake was prepared by the Jumeirah chefs in Magnolia. We chose a white three-tier cake and decorated it with ivy and white flowers.
The Details + Décor…
Thanks to the talented Joelle, we had the wedding we always wanted..
Ceremony: We had the ceremony in the outdoor area in Magnolia, Joelle decorated the arch with white lace, white flowers and ivy… we had white tiffany chairs, with small arrangements of gypsophila…
Stationary: Since David is from Liverpool and of course a Beatles fan, we chose a number of beautiful lines from Beatles songs and Mona (the talented graphic designer from the MLW team) beautifully printed the words on canvases around the venue … We also had paper fans with our names in caligraphic arabic on one side and the order of the day on the other … The signage around the venue was designed by Mona (seating chart, table names, the menu, the place cards,etc) was very chic and elegant and contemplated the wedding theme..
Reception setting: We had our reception in the outdoor area and the moment we walked in I was immediately blown away of how beautiful it looked…The lights, the table settings, the flowers, the decoration.. it was all magical..
Little details: All our guests took the abra’s to get to the venue, Joelle has decorated the abra that took me and my dad with white tul, flowers and ivy…
The Honeymoon… We went to a three-week honeymoon, started from New York then Las Vegas and then the Caribbean beach of Cancun! Each city was different and beautiful in its own way. We couldn’t have thought of better destinations…
Memorable moments…
- When we walked out after the ceremony surrounded by our family and friends
- My dad’s speech which put everyone in tears and the best man’s speech which made everyone laugh out of their minds, especially when “indian” dave came out from the hiding
Advice for other couples…
Enjoy every minute of the day.. Remember during the wedding to take a step back and take it all in…
Lovely Vendors…
Flowers: Fireza Flora
Styling: Joelle @ Lovely Styling
Stationery: Mona (Part of the Lovely Styling team) – Mona.beiti@gmail.com
Wedding favors: Choco Bloom
Venue: Magnolia, Al Qasr
Photography: Goldfish Photography & Video
Music: Mojo Productions
Celebrant: Helen Schrader
Dress: Esposa
Hair Styling: Nicolas and Jean
Celebrant: Helen Schrader