Wedding dreams come true: UK expat wins 24K gold bar in Abu Dhabi Big Ticket

For UK expat Naia John, a simple wish turned into glittering reality when she won a 250-gram 24-karat gold bar in Big Ticket’s weekly e-draw – just in time to fund her dream wedding dress.

Living in the UAE for the past five years, Naia took a chance on Big Ticket’s ‘buy two, get one free’ promotion, purchasing ticket number 017645 and struck gold.
“This is the first time I’ve ever bought it early,” she told show host Richard, her voice bubbling with disbelief. “I’m having a wedding in June, and I saw a dress I really wanted but it was super expensive, and my husband-to-be would not approve. So, I thought, maybe I’ll just buy a ticket and win. And then I can buy the dress I want.”

And it worked. Her lucky win will now help her walk down the aisle in the gown she always wanted, and she won’t be splitting the prize.

“It’s all for me,” she laughed.

The unexpected windfall left her in shock.
“I actually can’t believe it.”
Naia is now dreaming even bigger. Her ticket goes back into the drum for the Dh25 million grand prize draw on November 3, and she’s feeling lucky.

“It’s incredible. Maybe I’ll just hear from you every week.” she joked with Richard during the call.

Richard noted she is one of the rare UK winners in recent e-draws. Naia agreed, saying she once checked the winners page and “couldn’t see anyone from the UK.”

Signing off, Richard had one last wish for the winner: “You bought it hoping to make your wedding even better. It was a sign. It worked. May you have the most amazing wedding later this year.”