A wedding on a helipad

With a memorable marriage ceremony on a helipad, Meera and Keval Dhanani tied the knot in style in Ajman

Last updated: July 09, 2022 | 23:34

3 MIN READ

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Meera and Keval - 19.04.2018

In a sweet tribute to her love and husband-to-be, Meera N Mehta walked down the aisle to a song she’d pre-recorded especially for her big day. Her soft, strong and melodious voice filled the skies to the tune of Atif Aslam’s Tere Sang Yara as the couple tied the knot on the helipad of the Fairmont Hotel in Ajman.

But like all fairytales, the magic of the happily ever after was preceded by tense drama. Fiercely gusting winds nearly blew away the mandap Meera had been planning for a year. ‘On the day of my wedding, the wind was just crazy and from my room I could literally see water was coming on to the helipad,’ Meera, 28, says.

Behind the scenes, however, the couple’s team of planners, decorators and family worked to defy nature and hold the grand structure, which took three days to assemble, in place. The London-based couple picked the UAE as their wedding destination because they knew the Emirates could deliver on their dreams, no matter what.

It was, of course, the obvious tried-and-tested choice because it’s also where accountant Keval Dhanani, 30, popped the question to Meera, a speech therapist, in a surprise proposal at the Burj Al Arab.

The couple met on Christmas Eve in 2016 after chatting on a dating app for a month. After declining his request several times, Meera finally gave in to Keval’s persistence and agreed to meet him.

The first date, however, ended up lasting five hours and then there was no going back.

They hired Vivaah Weddings to organise their dream event, communicating details and dreams remotely through WhatsApp, email and phone.

In addition to a memorable ceremony on the helipad, the couple treated family and friends to a carnival-themed beach party, a Moroccan-themed Mehendi, a Mughal mystique-themed Sangeet, and finally a winter-inspired ‘Frosted’ reception to mark their first meeting on Christmas Eve.

And the magic prevailed all through.