Highlights
- The sons of Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid were married in a traditional Melcha ceremony on May 15
- The wedding celebrations will take place on June 6, 2019 during the Eid holidays
- Photos of Dubai Palace in decorative lights went viral on UAE social media
Dubai: With the date for the Al Maktoum wedding celebration less than one week away, the Emirati community have gone ecstatic over the latest photos of the Dubai Palace.
During the weekend, Emiratis were keen to share images of Dubai Palace adorned with bright lights in celebration for the upcoming wedding parties of the three sons of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
According to Emirati tradition, the bride and groom are first married in the Melcha – a religious ceremony performed by an Islamic scholar – and is attended only by family members and close friends.
On May 15, Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad, 36, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, married Shaikha Shaikha Bint Saeed Bin Thani Al Maktoum.
Shaikh Maktoum Bin Mohammad, 35, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, married Shaikha Maryam Bint Butti Al Maktoum, and Shaikh Ahmad Bin Mohammad, 32, Chairman of the Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation, married Shaikha Midya Bint Dalmouj Al Maktoum.
The wedding celebrations will be then held at a later time, and involves two sets of parties on different dates; one for men and the second for female guests.
The wedding invitation that emerged online revealed that the men’s wedding reception will take place on Thursday June 6 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, at 4pm.
As part of the invitation, guests were also treated to a delightful gift of Omani halwa – a traditional Gulf sweet made of wheat starch, sugar, water, ghee, saffron, cardamom and nuts.
As the wedding date draws closer, it is customary for the bride’s house to be elaborately decorated with bright lights all the way from the front door, the backyard and up to the roof. This is to let everyone know about the joyful news and that a wedding will be celebrated in that household.
The bride’s reception usually consists of music, dancing, extravagant decorations and lavish food, as guests are dressed in eye-catching ball gowns and covered in jewellery.
The men’s event is a relatively more low-key affair as they wear their bisht over the kandora, and as part of the entertainment, a male troupe performs the traditional Al Ayala ‘stick dance’.
