A Sophisticated & Exquisite Wedding at Emirates Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi

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“We were blown away by everything it had to offer and could not resist making a fantasy become reality.”

The Couple: Nasr Al-Jafari and Laura Nugent
Length of Engagement:  9 months | Wedding Date:  15th April 2017
Wedding Location:  Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi 
Photographer: Franck Boutonnet | Videographers: The Loft Studio, Abu Dhabi

We met…

We were set up by a mutual friend and first met on a ‘blind’ date in Manchester – where we are both originally from in the UK.  It was love at first sight.

Our proposal…

Nas’ proposal was truly magical, extra special and a massive surprise at the same time.  After first surprising me with a Versace dress he knew I liked, he whisked me away for a ‘staycation’ at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Ras Al Khaimah. Nas took my breath away when he proposed on the balcony underneath the stars.  I felt like a Princess.

Emirates Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi

Our wedding theme/colours…

Ivory and pink

My dress…

Main Dress

Sofia Bianca Collection at Ronald Joyce

Emirates Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi wedding

Second Dress

Victoria Jane Collection at Ronald Joyce

Both from Because I Love You Bridal, United Kingdom

Wedding Shoes – Jimmy Choo

Emirates Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi wedding

My hair and makeup…

Emily from Esthetic Sense, World Trade Center, Abu Dhabi

His suit…

From Scallywags and Rogues Tailors, Abu Dhabi

Houndstooth trousers and waistcoat, with a Royal Blue Tailed Jacket

What our bridal party wore…

Mother of the Bride in Luis Civit

Bridesmaids in Ralph Lauren pale pink dresses

bridesmaids dresses

Our ceremony and/or celebrant…

One of our closest friends conducted the ceremony

We chose our photographer because…

Franck Boutonnet is an award winning photographer from France.  Franck was highly recommended after he had previously photographed a friend’s wedding

Emirates Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi wedding

We chose our wedding coordinator because…

We did not use a wedding planner

We chose our venue because…

Emirates Palace is the ultimate fairy tale wedding venue and it is a truly magical and iconic venue in Abu Dhabi.  We both always said how amazing and special it would be to get married there, but never in our wildest dreams did we envisage it actually happening.  We were blown away by everything it had to offer and could not resist making a fantasy become reality.

Emirates Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi wedding

Our menu…

Canapés:

‘One Bite’ Caprese salad with basil pesto and balsamic jelly
Curry cornetto with chicken tikka and pineapple salad
Coconut crusted crispy fried prawns with mango salad
Hot smoked salmon with potato rosti and creme fraiche

Spinach ricotta dumplings with a Mediterranean tomato sauce
Mini Kibbeh and hummus

Starters:
‘Shrimp Cocktail’ Three Ways
Spring vegetable risotto with truffle arancini and herb oil (vegetarian option)

Main:
Black angus beef tenderloin, grain mustard mashed potatoes, wild mushrooms, crispy leeks and pan jus

Sea bream with olive poached tomatoes, olives cured lemon gremolata (vegetarian option)

Dessert:

Selection of desserts (Apple Mille Feuille, Crème Brulee, Caramelised Lemon Tart, Hazelnut Praline Tart, Raspberry-Marbled Cheesecake)

Selection of Cheeses & Seasonal Fresh Fruits.

Our honeymoon…

We wanted to make our honeymoon extra special and go somewhere neither of us had been before. We chose South Africa and started off with 6 days Safari on two private game reserves – King’s Camp, Timbavati and Leopard Hills Camp, Sabi Sands.

We then ventured around the Wineland region of Cape Town – Stellenbosch and Franschhoek, visiting a number of wine estates which were all spectacular.  We followed up with two relaxing days on the coast at Birkenhead House in Hermanus, finishing our final stay in Camps Bay, Cape Town, before flying home to Abu Dhabi.

My favourite part of the wedding day…

The whole day was absolutely amazing; even more special than we had both imagined.  Having all our closest family and friends with us to celebrate our once in a lifetime, special day was truly incredible.  The best day of our lives so far.

My piece of advice for other brides…

I would definitely recommend investing in a videographer (in addition to a photographer), to capture the full wedding day; something to always treasure and relive the wonderful memories.

Emirates Palace Hotel, Abu Dhabi wedding

Author bio

Tsian Koussa is the editor of weddingsOnline UAE.  A fashion girl at heart, she also loves to write at length about beauty, food and anything celebrity related. She has a trained creative eye, and finds herself drawn to anything a little bohemian, authentic and cool in the world of weddings.

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