The bride with the Elie Saab Wedding Dress

Zeinab and Assaad married last January at The Park Hyatt in Abu Dhabi. If you haven’t been there, it really is a stunning hotel. This bride & groom certainly have some style which was captured by Dubai wedding photographer  Gregory from Blue Eye Picture.  Zeinab, the beautiful bride fell in love with an Elie Saab wedding dress and took the biggest risk a bride can take and ordered it online.
Here’s her story…

Wedding Date…. January 6, 2012
The Venue…  Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi
The Vision for the day….
It never really hits a bride that she’s getting married till that very last day. I was so excited and just wanted to make sure everything goes smoothly, and that all our guests have a great time. My agenda was all planned out for the day, wake up – shower – breakfast – hair, nails, make-up – dress up – meet with the groom – photo shoot – a bit of relaxation before heading to the party then party time and that’s exactly how it rolled! Minus a few unexpected and unavoidable delays that are always encountered on wedding days!

The Planning process…
I love planning events, so I was super excited to plan the biggest event of my life with the person I love most. It was very different planning something that means so much to me.
Planning our wedding was a bit hard at first given we had picked a venue that was under construction, when we went for site visits, we had to wear a safety helmet and protective gear. Some consider it to be a risk working with an unfinished venue, but we loved it too much to let go. We were assured it’ll be ready in time and luckily it was. The hotel staff were very helpful and did their best to make sure everything runs smooth that day.
In terms of F&B, we had debates on set menu or buffet but decided to go for a buffet with live station cooking so we used the outdoor terrace by the ballroom and that really created a nice atmosphere and mingling zone for guests.
The venue decoration planning and execution was pretty straightforward, we wanted something simple and approached Liali Events and had them deal with that part based on our requirements. They handled everything from bride & groom seating area, sound & lighting, centerpieces, floral, zaffe, DJ, live entertainment, guest wishes area, reception area decoration and hostesses etc.

Budget…  That’s a question for the Mr.
Finding My Wedding Dress…
I was browsing online for dresses, and came across the Aglaya Dress by Elie Saab for Pronovias, and it was like love at first sight! Obviously, ordering a dress online was not what I had in mind. I started calling Pronovias in Dubai and Beirut only to find out they didn’t have it in stock. My mum and sister dragged me to Lebanon in search of a dress, they had booked a few dress appointments at some of the Lebanese wedding dress designers. I only agreed to go to one boutique, tried on a few dresses and although everyone else loved them, I didn’t, my mind was set on the other. That’s when I decided I would take the risk and order it online. That’s exactly what I did, and received it a few weeks later, had it altered to fit me perfectly, had it at home only 2 days before the wedding and walked down the aisle in it.
 

My Lovely Accessories…
Its true what they say “Diamonds are a girls best friend” and even more so on her wedding night. I wore a customized diamond set my parents gave me as a wedding gift, along with an Aigner diamond watch, and my Zoughaib Jewelry wedding band and solitaire. In my hair, I wore 2 crystal studded simple accessories that my sister had worn at her wedding.
Groom’s Threads…  A Hugo Boss tuxedo – the groom has it a lot easier, one shop, 2 fittings and done!

The Flowers… My bridal bouquet from Petals, it was a masterpiece that took almost 4-5 hours to prepare. The rest of the floral was through Liali Events who decorated the venue.
The Cake… Prepared by Park Hyatt – but sadly didn’t get to try it!

My Details + Décor….
Hair and Make up were done by Ceasar and Rita at Sheraton Corniche Abu Dhabi.
The overall wedding theme was lovebirds, the centerpieces were caged floral, there were lit cage lamps on either side of our seating area, and we had hanging cages as a backdrop behind us. The seating tables were also named after different birds.

Our Honeymoon….
Maldives – paradise on earth! We went to Park Hyatt Hadahaa and it was heavenly, much needed relaxation after the hectic wedding period.
Then we went to Singapore, and it was lovely. We stayed at Marina Bay Sands for a few days then spent the rest of the holiday at Hard Rock Hotel in Sentosa Island.
Favorite moments…
Taking off my shoes after the long wedding part … relief!!! And calling Assaad “My Husband”

Advice for other couples…
DON’T STRESS OUT! I work in events so it’s a natural instinct for me to think “okay whether I stress out or not its going to happen, so might as well go about it with a positive attitude” and I think that’s the key to enjoying your wedding and planning it.
Also, make sure to take plenty of good photos, go crazy, because that’s the best-kept memory after the wedding night is over.

Credit for friends, family & suppliers…
We would like to thank our families and friends for making this day a very special one, it would have never been the same without them.
It would have also not been the same without Laure, the very supportive wedding planner from Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi – Gregory, the very talented and crazy photographer than made us jump onto the beach before the wedding party even began (in my dress!) – Liali Events for decorating our venue, providing floral, and entertainment – Maison Sucre for the cute personalized fortune cookie edible favors.
All Wedding photography was by Gregory at Blue Eye Picture.
Big thanks to the lovely Zeinab for sharing her very stylish wedding. x x x