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Wedding Costs - cannot believe my eyes / ears

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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 29 August 2012 - 14:03
does anybody know of any wedding dress hire shops or cheap shops to buy dress from, not sure if i have time to get one made x
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EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 22 July 2012 - 11:05
Hi, DB, and congratulations on your wedding:) Have you seen this week's Time Out? I just spotted it in Spinney's and it advertises a feature about where to get married in Dubai. There is a lady who sometimes posts on EW as abby_and_christina who has just had her first baby, I think, but who works as a wedding planner in her spare time. You might put out a call to her and see if she can help? Also, just do a search on EW for "wedding planner" and you will find loads of threads about getting married in Dubai - you might get some ideas there, as well. Good luck and enjoy! thank you so much for your referral simpleasabc :) much appreciated! :)
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 19 July 2012 - 20:52
Hi ShellFC, Yes, he would be happy to do that for your son. Please call 050 5671 434 and I can answer any questions you may have. Many Congrats on your son's marriage. Best regards Elle
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EW GURU
Latest post on 19 July 2012 - 10:56
I am also planning my Son's blessing on a beach in Dubai in March 2013. I've phoned most of the beach hotels and sometimes had a heart attack on the 'minimum spend' of AED 75,000. That's crazy. Would you be so kind as to send me your venues list and prices too coffee-mate and Elle. Elle, my son got married last uear in Mongolia, with the Mongoloan family. This would be the blessing with the big white-wedding-lookalike. Would your husband be able to officiate? When we find their dream beach venue. P.s. my daughter got married at the Creek Golf Club, next to the Park Hyatt and it was amazing and incredibly reasonable. Thanks. Hi ShellFC, mine is being held at the Park Hyatt, so can't help with the beach I'm afraid. Luckily, my OH and I are not 'beachy' people and I couldn't think of anything worse than sand in my wedding dress! hahahaa. However, I agree with what you're finding. All Jumeirah properties pretty much had a minimum 75,000 spend. Just of the top of my head, have you tried Dubai Marine Beach Resort & Spa? Being older and not part of a huge chain (correct me if I'm wrong) they might be more flexible/reasonable for your needs? Just a thought.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 19 July 2012 - 10:17
I am also planning my Son's blessing on a beach in Dubai in March 2013. I've phoned most of the beach hotels and sometimes had a heart attack on the 'minimum spend' of AED 75,000. That's crazy. Would you be so kind as to send me your venues list and prices too coffee-mate and Elle. Elle, my son got married last uear in Mongolia, with the Mongoloan family. This would be the blessing with the big white-wedding-lookalike. Would your husband be able to officiate? When we find their dream beach venue. P.s. my daughter got married at the Creek Golf Club, next to the Park Hyatt and it was amazing and incredibly reasonable. Thanks.
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 19 July 2012 - 10:01
Hi ladies - I'm also planning a small wedding party - can anyone email me contact details for makeup artists and especially wedding photographers? Also do hotels allow you to source flowers from elsewhere and bring them in for your dinner? Thanks in advance :) Rebecca Hobday was a wonderful photographer. http://www.rebeccahobday.com/weddings.htm
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 19 July 2012 - 09:56
My wedding was outside at the Ritz Carlton Dubai. I had canapes, drinks, dinner and free flowing wine and spirits, I had cars, flowers, table decorations, my dress hand made, the men's suits made, DJ, Photographer, Videographer, cake, the lot and was under the 100k budget for 60 people. I did the decorations myself as I wnted something specific but everyone loved them and asked who had done them! I sourced everything myself and not through the hotel which makes the price cheaper. Also, I did everything in less than 2 months so it is very do-able!
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 19 July 2012 - 02:15
Elle13211....Hi there! Planning to get married in Feb 2013. Looking out for 1) Hair Makeup Artist 2) Video/Photographer Any suggestions/recommendations from any recent brides.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 19 July 2012 - 02:12
Have you picked a venue? I have the old pricelists from several hotels on what they offer, and would be happy to pass them on. I can't help with flowers, as I decided against it, but I can recommend a brilliant photographer, who charged us 2000 dhs for video and photography (and the photos were amazing) and he was there from church to receptions end. I can also recommend an amazing makeup artist, who was a mac trainer for 10 years, wonderful and very reasonably priced, and a great cakemaker too. Let me know if I can help, I had a much smaller wedding than you, but I got a lot of pricing as I originally still wanted a ballroom :)
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 29 April 2012 - 12:54
I went to a wedding receiption on a boat. Groom bought all the alcohol, Yes Chef provided the food and I made the wedding cake. It was a great day.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 27 March 2012 - 14:45
I also second the Park Hyatt Dubai, it's beautiful, serene, not over the top like some other 5 star hotels in Dubai and quite private in the sense that you won't have random tourists wondering through your ceremony. We had our wedding there and although it was a year ago and prices may have changed, we had 80 guests, two outdoors locations (Fountain garden for blessing and cocktails and Palm Garden for dinner/dancing), free flowing alcohol (but only had champagne for the cocktail hour), great food and it cost us about 60K. This included flowers for the tables, wedding cake, overnight stay in a suite. We incurred some extra costs for DJ hire, light arrangements (you need it there if outdoors, and to be honest it is great decoration) and some additional flower arrangements we requested that I would say alltogether came to another 10-12K. Just to note that if you have it outdoors there is a cut off of around midnight for noise purposes. This and the fact that about one third of our guests didn't drink alcohol kept the alcohol budget reasonable (I think it came to 17K alltogether) but as I said, we had Moet champagne after the blessing and then free flowing wines and open bar from 7pm to midnight. It was really lovely and everybody had a great time. One last thing, negotiate hard, they had initially quoted me 80K for venue and food only, and I got that cut to 40K, so there's hope!
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EW GURU
Latest post on 27 March 2012 - 13:37
Coffee mate is THE person to speak to wedding-wise!! I have had it with all the wedding planners, seriously. St Regis emailed me this morning to say they refuse to move their Friday brunch so I can have my (outdoor, beach) wedding ceremony at 7pm. Ie darkness. Why oh why on earth would all my family and friends fly out to see me get married in a resort wedding, under cover of darkness. I give up! Cheers chick! Honestly, I despair with most of these places! No clue some of them. I'm starting to think I missed my calling in life!
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 March 2012 - 13:23
Div.... you have mail :) Oh, so quick :) Thanks a lot!
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EW GURU
Latest post on 27 March 2012 - 13:15
Div.... you have mail :)
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EW GURU
Latest post on 26 March 2012 - 16:51
DB, I've got a load of info that I collected when researching venues (albeit they are all in Dubai). If you'd like me to pass it on, I'm happy to email it to you. They are places like Desert Palm, Jebel Ali Hotel, Bateaux Dubai, Dubai Creek & Yacht Club, Marina Yacht Club, Polo Club....
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EW MASTER
Latest post on 26 March 2012 - 16:42
Hi, DB, and congratulations on your wedding:) Have you seen this week's Time Out? I just spotted it in Spinney's and it advertises a feature about where to get married in Dubai. There is a lady who sometimes posts on EW as abby_and_christina who has just had her first baby, I think, but who works as a wedding planner in her spare time. You might put out a call to her and see if she can help? Also, just do a search on EW for "wedding planner" and you will find loads of threads about getting married in Dubai - you might get some ideas there, as well. Good luck and enjoy!
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EW EXPERT
Latest post on 26 March 2012 - 15:50
Hi There! We are doing a feature on weddings in Dubai for the next YOU! magazine and are looking for top tips from brides about how to get things done in Dubai... looking at everything from flowers to make up as you are all mentioning below :) If you'd like to submit your top tips drop us a line at editor at expatwoman dot com and we'll be in touch :) We'd love to hear from you, Warm regards, EW Admin
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EW GURU
Latest post on 26 March 2012 - 14:26
Hotels call them wedding planners but they are not a wedding planner as we know them, I.e. a self-sufficient person with experience, contacts etc ... They are wedding coordinators, so at entry level in their department. Just some feedback on hotels from when I was planning my own wedding: Park Hyatt Dubai were most accommodating and professional, whereas One&Only (I hate to say this because they still are my favourite hotel on Dubai beach) had the worst a attitude, the 'we don't need your business, thank you very much' kind. We ended up renting a yacht and taking on a catering company which in your case would not work due to capacity limitations - everyone said it was the best wedding party they had ever been to though ;) <em>edited by twin_butterfly on 26/03/2012</em>
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 March 2012 - 14:22
Thanks Emily G - good advice. Trouble is - I've spoken with *new* hotels on Saadiyat Island (won't mention the name) and because they were new they were utterly inexperienced and completely clueless! As in - NO IDEA. Quote the wedding planner when I said I wanted an outdoor ceremony where there would be chairs with an aisle: "Ohhhh, I've never been to a Western wedding, is that like erm in the movies?" SERIOUSLY!!! The wedding planner had never organised or been to a Western wedding so was trying to convince me I needed a ballroom with 800 guests lol! Told her I don't even know 800 ppl haha! Now that actually *did* make me laugh out loud.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 March 2012 - 14:14
Hi DB congrats on your upcoming wedding :-) Have you thought about going further afield? I know Hatta Fort do weddings which could be nice in such a secluded spot. Not everyone likes older hotels but I think it's lovely. Alternatively, you could look at any brand new hotel looking to break into the wedding market and willing to do a deal. Good luck x
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 March 2012 - 13:15
A small, inexpensive wedding can be done. We had 15 people in January, and kept the costs to about 2000dhs, including taking our guests around for the week they were here. My experience was that as soon as you say wedding, dollar signs appear in their eyes and everything is 3 times the price. The Polo club does a good large group package, as does the Fairmont, and the Kris Kin if you are interested in hotels. We had our reception at Azur, in the Marina Marriott. Lovely venue with great views and very helpful staff, who can also cater to food intolerances. Was so fed up after calling nearly everyone in Dubai that I started saying it was a family reunion rather than a wedding- the same food, drink and table caterings price dropped substantially. Thanks Elle - appreciate it. Thing is, we are having around 85 - 90 guests, and since a lot of them will be flying in from the UK, I wanted to have a big outdoor wedding in a resort. Don't think I can get away with saying its anything but, if we are having the flower arch, ceremony etc. I agree its ridiculous - they double the prices for things like hair, flowers, makeup etc as soon as they know but what to do? I have asked for sparkling wine now, not champagne, and will see what I can do on the flower front. Also - not paying for kids under 5 who will eat 2 chips and a chicken nugget! I think Dubai is overall more flexible so going to check out Al Qasr and ONe n only... Hi if you want me to pass on any of my contacts i used i can. I really cut down on the flowers in the end because the locations in Dubai are so beautiful anyway i dont think you need a lot. I used had a bouquet for me and my bridesmaids and the groomsmen....
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 March 2012 - 13:10
Hi Dangerous Blonde - i got married in Dubai in November. I had about 60 guests in the day. The wedding did cost us a fortune but was worth every minute. Alcohol is really expensive but why not have a drinks package instead of the champagne as this is what i did and helped to reduce the price. I also organised a lot of things myself so saved money there. 100K for 80 guests is a good budget. For the flowers i actually arranged for them to be delivered on the morning of the wedding and my mum tied some ribbon around them and they looked amazing......the shops wanted to charge me about 10K too for a wedding bouquet. In the evening i had a cash bar as well. I also know a great make up artist who was one of the cheapest i tried but also the best. She was the only one who didnt make me look like a drag queen with heavy eye make up. I know a great hairdresser too.... Hope this helps <em>edited by Bracey777 on 26/03/2012</em>
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 March 2012 - 13:09
Hi, My husband has conducted quite a few Blessing Ceremonies in the Al Qasr Hotel, on the beach platform, and in the Magnolia Garden. Familes, friends and the couples themselves have always seemed very happy and satisfied with the way things went on their 'Special Day' The One and Only is lovely too, and also the Jumeriah Beach Hotel is quite reasonable and good value for money. Many Congratulations on your up coming marriage and lot's of Good Luck with finding a venue that will fill your needs. Another, Elle.
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 March 2012 - 12:47
Have you picked a venue? I have the old pricelists from several hotels on what they offer, and would be happy to pass them on. I can't help with flowers, as I decided against it, but I can recommend a brilliant photographer, who charged us 2000 dhs for video and photography (and the photos were amazing) and he was there from church to receptions end. I can also recommend an amazing makeup artist, who was a mac trainer for 10 years, wonderful and very reasonably priced, and a great cakemaker too. Let me know if I can help, I had a much smaller wedding than you, but I got a lot of pricing as I originally still wanted a ballroom :)
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EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 March 2012 - 12:39
A small, inexpensive wedding can be done. We had 15 people in January, and kept the costs to about 2000dhs, including taking our guests around for the week they were here. My experience was that as soon as you say wedding, dollar signs appear in their eyes and everything is 3 times the price. The Polo club does a good large group package, as does the Fairmont, and the Kris Kin if you are interested in hotels. We had our reception at Azur, in the Marina Marriott. Lovely venue with great views and very helpful staff, who can also cater to food intolerances. Was so fed up after calling nearly everyone in Dubai that I started saying it was a family reunion rather than a wedding- the same food, drink and table caterings price dropped substantially.
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EW EXPLORER
Latest post on 26 March 2012 - 12:28
you're right....so nice venue!! I love Park Hyatt.
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EW GURU
Latest post on 26 March 2012 - 11:37
That could be the reason. We looked at a lot of venues and most have a minimum spend. Park Hyatt won hands down for value and the venue is just lovely. I can't wait for the day! The contact lady is Bonita Camelia [email protected]
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EW GURU
Latest post on 26 March 2012 - 11:30
I recently got married in court but am planning my wedding blessing for next year and am frankly shocked at the prices they charge over here. I have had a viewing of various locations in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and just received a proposal that almost made me faint! One was charging 81,000dhs just for alcohol - three times the food costs! 39,000 of that was just on champagne! Is this normal? I think a budget of 100k for 80 guests is reasonable but apparently not! 10,000 just on flowers? That after one day will die and be thrown away? It's just too much. Does anyone know of any reasonably priced locations or ways I can cut costs without appearing cheap. The alcohol wasn't even the free flow option - it was 2 bottles of wine per table of 8, 1 hr of drinks reception and 1 glass of champers for the speeches. I was really happy and excited and enjoying the viewings but now just want to cry... :( Where are you getting those quotes from? My wedding planning is in full motion and quite frankly, those prices made my eyes water! We're having a reception at the Park Hyatt and it's not costing anywhere near that (including canapes, 4 courses meal and 4 hours free flow drinks) They also provide the flowers on the tables and loads of candles/tea lights. So the only flowers I need to source are my bouquets and botton holes for wedding party. ETA... they also include the cake and wedding night stay at the hotel! <em>edited by coffee_mate on 26/03/2012</em>
 
 

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