Dubai: When one thinks of a Dubai wedding, the first thing that comes to mind is a beautiful extravagant venue, such as a spotless golden beach, the magical skills of a personal wedding planner who makes the event special, the joy of multiple, traditional ceremonies and a guest list after your own heart. Pakistani couple Shahzad and Nyma Qadir had all of the above.
The two officially tied the knot on December 24 last year after they first met in Dubai two and a half years ago on October 2011 through a common friend.
The couple had a total of 10 ceremonies in venues across Dubai and Abu Dhabi that included Mina Salaam, Al Majlis Al Salaam Ballroom, Nar Beach at Rixos Hotel on Palm Jumeirah and the Blue Marlin Ibiza in Abu Dhabi.
The wedding expenses, as was the custom with this couple, are borne by the respective families of the bride and groom.
Sharing with Gulf News their wedding costs, Nyma said the top five things that cost the most were: Bridal dresses (for the multiple wedding receptions), bridal jewellery sets (gifted by the bride’s father), decor for the functions, photographer’s services and catering, though not neccesarily in that order.
Shahzad, on the other hand, said his family spent the most on the venue, décor, clothes and jewellery, adding that they initially did have a budget set after doing research on the details and venues they wanted.
“We did go over the initial budget,” said Shahzad. “However, this wasn’t due to things being more expensive than we had expected; we live in Dubai and are acquainted with how much things cost, which is a lot! There are many additional expenses you don’t anticipate initially,” he said.
Among the additional costs is the guest list, which Shahzad said grew beyond what he had originally penned down.
The couple concedes that had they chosen to get married in Pakistan, their wedding would have cost a fraction of what they paid in Dubai, but because the couple met in Dubai and live here, they decided it would be the best location.
“An additional reason was that we had a lot of international guests and they were all more comfortable travelling to Dubai rather than to Pakistan due to security concerns and the difficulty attaining visas,” said Shahzad.
As for Nyma, who was born and raised in London, she wanted to include a western ceremony in her wedding so she could wear a white dress on the beach. Dubai turned out to be the perfect location for that.
When it comes to planning the wedding, the first step, according to Nyma, is to set the date. All else onbviously follows as a result of that. And what was the aspect that took up the most time? Deciding on the décor for each function, she responded.
“I actually bought a wedding planning book called Wedding DIY A-Z. The book walked me through each stage a bride needs to address when planning her own wedding. In addition to that, my mother hired a great wedding planner who turned my ideas into reality.”
Having successfully organised their wedding, would they do it any differently if they had to do it all over again? Shahzad believes he would have reduced the number of events. “We had a function every day for 10 days in a row. Needless to say, we were exhausted!”
Nyma said she would have worked towards being more calm during the planning stage and tried not to be such a perfectionist.
Their advice to couples planning their wedding?
Shahzad: “Men ought not to interfere with their partners during the planning.” He belives it can only lead to needless arguments. “Let your respective ladies call the shots. The wedding is a lot more important to women than it is to men; it is something they have been imagining since they were little girls.”
Nyma: “Do not sweat the details because, at the end of the day, the guests won’t notice if the flowers or the table mats aren’t exactly right.”
