Marjhan and Siraj, Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach

Their wedding celebrations unfolded in the heart of Dubai, within the lavish environs of the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach, famous for its warm Arabic hospitality and picture perfect décor.

Here, bride Marjhan shares highlights of the celebrations.

How we met
“I am a graphic designer in Singapore and Siraj was a private banker and is currently COO at a family business. We were with our separate groups at Spago, a well-known lounge in Singapore when we were awkwardly introduced. He was so shy and I asked him to come sit with us but we didn’t say much to each other. The next day he asked me out to brunch and honestly after that day we dated for less than a year when he asked me to marry him in Dubai on Valentine’s Day!”

Proposal
“Siraj picked me up in a car and wouldn’t tell me where we were going. We arrived at Marina Mall and he had a man escort us to the Marina where he had a yacht waiting for the two of us. We boarded and hung out upstairs with the captain, enjoying the stunning skyline of Dubai from the water. Siraj went downstairs for a while then asked me to go downstairs and sit down. He got down on one knee and of course I started crying while he had such a beautiful little speech worked out for me. Honestly, I’ve never felt so much happiness and love for someone and was overwhelmed with the realization that this one moment would lead to a whole new chapter of life. After the surprise, we watched the sunset from the water and headed back to the dock. It wasn’t over! We drove to Jumeirah where we took a buggy through the entire stunning hotel, then the villas and finally arrived at PierChic, a restaurant that sits above the water and has a front row view of the Burj Al Arab. The final surprise was a trip to the top of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world! It was so much fun to experience being on the 148th floor with Siraj by my side.”

Wedding Venue
“Four Seasons Resort Dubai, Jumeirah is possibly one of the most beautiful locations I have ever seen. It’s new, the architecture is beyond stunning, and every corner is enjoyable. I wanted a property where my guests wouldn’t necessarily have to leave the hotel, and could actually enjoy their entire stay in one location without feeling too much of the summer heat. The rooms are massive! With luxurious beds and bathtubs, who would want to leave? I feel like a lot of hotels in Dubai are seriously dated, but this property is brand new and I instantly fell in love. I had to get married here!”

Wedding Functions

Sangeet
“The decor for the sangeet night was all about fuchsia flowers and gold detailing. The tablecloths were specially cut and orchids (the Singaporean national flower) were placed on everyone’s plates. The dance floor pulled the entire place together, covered in pink and purple artwork.

The stage was really something to admire. Bianca, our wedding planner created a ring around the sofa using flowers and this was against a mirrored background and floor. The entire thing reflected from everywhere. I entered with all my girls dancing to ‘Crazy in Love’ by Beyoncé, which was honestly the most fun I’ve ever had. Siraj walked in with his boys to ‘Bring Em Out’ by by Jay Z!

We wanted to break the stereotype of having such serious faces during a wedding. It’s your day, you’re meant to have fun! Both sides had really great dance performances to Bollywood songs. I wore a custom designed light blue and peach Nomi Ansari lehenga. I actually found a spaghetti strap top in his studio in this color combination and asked for it to be made into a lehenga. It was stunning, just the right amount of color, but kept true to Nomi’s ice cream colored palette. The lehenga itself was heavily embroidered, as well as the choli, with tiny gem tassels hanging all over the sleeves and bottom of the top. A light blue dupatta accompanied the outfit with a heavy border and sequins all over the net.”

Nikah
“For my Nikah, I wore a Sana Safinaz heavily embroidered trailing jacket in silver with hints of baby pink and a very cool metallic silver silk gharara, which gave the whole outfit a “me” vibe. The dupatta was stunning. It was white net, with a heavy border and sequins across the entire fabric. I walked in to beautiful traditional Arabic music with a red dupatta over me, carried by my brother and closest friends. Then there was the nikah and signing of papers, followed by memorable speeches from family and friends. I was in tears the whole night!”

Reception
“I wanted gold, crystals, white flowers, and mirrors as décor elements for this night. The masterpiece created was better than I dreamed. With cascading flowers, the stage looked like we were sitting in a garden. Candelabras and orchids covered each table, while Siraj and I sat with hundreds of crystals behind us. It looked like a fairytale!

For the reception, I wore a striking gold Nomi Ansari lehenga. This was by far my heaviest outfit; a fully worked gold on gold lehenga and top, a rose dupatta with a heavy border, adorned with clusters of gold sequins. Siraj wore a Ferozi Sabyasachi sherwani with hints of gold, white pyjamas and gold khussas.”

Advice to Couples
“If you plan on a destination wedding, get ready to keep flying back and forth! I highly recommend hiring a planner. I have no idea how anyone does anything without one! Really sit down with your fiancé and discuss the direction of each night. Your family will be your rock. Treasure them at this time because they are making your dreams come true. Listen to any advice they have because I’m sure it’ll come in handy! Smile a lot at every opportunity since the cameras are always on you and you’ll have the best memories to keep.”

The Wedding Makers
Venue: Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach
Wedding Planner: Bianca Events
Choreographer: Sheena Golani
Brides Outfit: Nomi Ansari (Sangeet and Reception), Sana Safinaz (Nikah)
Grooms Outfit: Sabyasachi (Reception)
Jewellery: Mandalay International, Karachi (Sangeet), Farah Khan (Reception)

Photographer: Melrish Studio

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