Suhaina and Hitesh, Jebel Ali, Dubai

Hitesh and Suhaina had a traditional Sikh wedding at the Jebel Ali Gurudwara in Dubai, but their other events were inspired by cool destinations such as Switzerland, London and Paris – and they recreated a bit of each beautifully at separate wedding functions.

How We Met
“Hitesh and I met at university and instantly became friends. But since he graduated before me, we lost touch. We met again at a common friend’s party years later and the rest, as they say, is history!”

Wedding Proposal
“For the longest time, Hitesh made me believe that he disliked mush and that he would never propose to me in a clichéd fashion – this was only to surprise me months later with a beautiful ring and flowers!”

Wedding Planning
“We were involved in every aspect of our wedding planning. From the décor, food to the giveaways, we both were extremely particular about our tastes and likes. We, along with our wedding planner Red Velvet Events, didn’t want to rush while executing our wedding functions, and thus, had our engagement planned in three months. We took a brief hiatus after that and later planned our pending wedding functions.”

Wedding Functions

Brunch
“We arranged our wedding decor based on the countries that we would visit for our honeymoon. For our brunch, we wanted to bring Switzerland to Dubai and created a vintage garden-themed brunch at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Dubai. To complement the luscious flowers and garden setting, I wore a beautiful dull gold Shikha Hemdev gown with earrings for a chic and stylish look.”

Wedding
“We wanted to host a traditional Sikh wedding and therefore organized it at the beautiful Jebel Ali Gurudwara in Dubai. I’ve always wanted to wear Sabyasachi Mukherjee on my big day and picked a beautiful maroon lehenga with a butterfly net dupatta. The lehenga had stunning gold embroidery work which went very well with my diamond jewellery. For my makeup, I surrendered to Natasha Moor, who took the time to understand my minimal tastes and crafted a gorgeous bridal makeup look on me!”

Reception
“Our reception had a ‘Winter in London’ theme that brought alive the city’s beautiful cityscape and the top attractions of our favorite holiday spot. Everything from the Tower Bridge to the famous red phone booths formed an integral part of our stage decor. Since our reception mainly involved a meet-and-greet session, I wore a gorgeous Manish Malhotra peach colored gown which was not only beautiful but was also extremely comfortable.”

Masquerade Ball
“Instead of hosting the usual ‘after party’, we planned on having a masquerade ball which would allow our guests to play dress up! For this function, we had a Parisian ball theme which had the gathering shake a leg to some classical beats and also enjoy unlimited cocktails and bubblies! I had worn a lot of nude colors in my wedding functions and therefore, the multicolored Cherie D gown was a great change!”

Advice for couples planning their wedding
“Wedding planning is a lot of fun but can get a little hectic at times. Having a wedding planner will definitely make the planning process a lot easier since as they will help you execute your ideas better. As soon as you have a wedding date in mind, book the photographer and makeup artist since they are the busiest vendors. Lastly, do not ever compare your weddings to others as each is special in its own way.”

Wedding Vendors
Locations: Jebel Ali Gurudwara, Dubai (Wedding), Ritz Carlton Dubai (Brunch)
Wedding Planner: Red Velvet Events
Bridal Trousseau: Shikha Hemdev (Brunch), Sabyasachi Mukherjee (Wedding ceremony), Manish Malhotra (Reception), Cherie D (Masquerade Ball)
Makeup Artist: Natasha Moor

Photographer: Imprint Studio

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