AI takes the aisle: How ChatGPT is transforming UAE weddings

Between rose petals and table plans, couples and planners are turning to a new ‘assistant’ for quick ideas, first drafts and even dress fittings: artificial intelligence (AI).

The technology now intrudes into nearly every type of digital communication, so there’s little wonder it’s showing up to wedding parties. The vast majority of new couples – 90 per cent – say they’re open to using AI to manage budgets, find inspiration and create schedules, according to a Zola survey.

The wedding e-commerce website polled nearly 6,000 couples. About three-fourths of respondents (74 per cent) said they’d be happy to use AI to help write wedding toasts and speeches. So much for that Hangover-style speech to ensure that your day is remembered.

Here in the UAE, people are more circumspect on whether they’re ‘delegating’ their task lists to generative AI (gen AI) tools such as ChatGPT. Couples and industry insiders will only admit to using them in the early stages.

“AI is making inroads into weddings in two main ways,” says Rahul Kumar, Director at Dubai-based planning agency Vivaah Celebrations. “First, through invitations, where apps help design and digitally distribute them, and second, through planning, with AI tools being used to create 3D renders of décor and design concepts, giving clients a clear visual representation.”

It can be difficult to express how you want something to look or feel when it’s in your head. AI-generated visuals save trawling through pages of Google images for references to articulate that vision.

Tamara Manukyan, an Armenian expat living in the UAE, played around with gen AI tools to show her planners the sort of décor she wants at her November wedding at the Anantara Santorini in Abu Dhabi. These include fabric-inspired furniture and curved fabric panels for the backdrop at her ceremony. Manukyan will also gen AI to recreate moments from her in-laws’ wedding; their golden wedding anniversary is on the same day.

November research from The Knot Worldwide, another online wedding marketplace, found that couples most commonly use AI for help with writing and communication, ideas and inspiration, etiquette tips, and creating trip itineraries. In practice, this means QR-coded invitations leading to multilingual websites created using generative AI, lists of sights and cultural excursions for guests, multiple instant ‘look-and-feel’ mood boards for venues and planners and even augmented photo editing tools that cull and curate images where everyone’s smiling.

Vendors are also taking note. Los Angeles-based planning agency Provenance offers a Vow Builder service to turn personal details about your relationship into eternal promises. You can edit these until you’re happy, and then even go the extra mile with training from a human speech coach. In India, Vogue magazine reported how Radar, an augmented reality agency replaces hashtags with custom Instagram filters: computer vision detects faces and applies culturally tailored overlays to create instantly shareable videos.

Meanwhile, Google rolled out virtual try-ons in May with its new AI Mode shopping function. Currently just available in the US, it lets you see how you’d look in a dress, hat or anything else, and then save and share the look with friends.

But AI can only go so far – despite a recent survey this April revealing that some 80 per cent of GenZ respondents would also consider marrying an AI partner. Tools like ChatGPT and DALL·E, an image generator, can spark inspiration, but they lack an understanding of real-world spatial dynamics, says planner Gauri Chadha, co-founder of The Big Night, a Dubai event agency. “We have brides sending us videos and images of AI-created décor, but it’s not always possible to execute them,” she says. “Still, I support using AI to generate ideas to enrich the experience. Your personal touch is what ensures it’s unique, not copied.”

Vivaah’s Kumar says ChatGPT has its place, but UAE couples remain intoxicated by influencers on Instagram. “Tools like ChatGPT may be handy for couples seeking DIY, budget-friendly ideas, but when it comes to larger celebrations, couples still turn to social media for inspiration and mood boards rather than relying on AI,” he says.

However you use AI – because, as one publicist says, isn’t everyone using it in some form? – most planners and couples have a common refrain. “Generative AI cannot replicate the intuition, creativity, and emotional intelligence a wedding planner brings to the table,” Kumar says.

AI won’t stand at the altar for you – but it will change how you interact with planners, vendors and creatives. So while you’ll gain in terms of speed, scheduling and budgeting help, you will need to control for authenticity, guard against legislative complications and run your own taste tests. At one South Indian ceremony this year, a generative AI video showed the groom’s deceased father descending from heaven to attend the reception and eat dinner. As with any technology, everything rides on how you use AI.