Aliya & Rajen | Dubai, UAE | Wedding Film & Photography
ALIYA & RAJEN’S INDIAN WEDDING IN DUBAI – 4 DAYS – FROM THE DESERT TO THE BURJ KHALIFA
We have seen a lot when it comes to wedding celebrations, but Aliya and Rajen topped it all with their magnificent wedding in Dubai. Four days of wonder, every day a very different scenery full of new tastes, colours and surprises.
Pithi Ceremony & Mehndi Party at Burj Residences
This extraordinary wedding journey started at the famous Smiley Center, where a lovely creative photography session was photographed and filmed in a beautiful, authentic surrounding. A not-a-bit-less beautiful Aston Martin was the wedding limo taking them back home, which made my day when it came to finding cool angles filled with extraordinary design. Rajen went through an interesting ritual here, friends and family members put all kinds of good things on his head, like eggs, butter, chocolate and colourful paints to give them abundance in their long life together.
Jain Blessings & Sangeet in Bab Al Shams
The next day we started far out of Dubai in the desert. Bab Al Shams Desert Resort is a place that takes you back in time to the Islamic Golden Age, to a tale from One Thousand and One Nights. With sand dunes all around, this is the only little oasis as far as the eyes can see. Inside, you find a little village full of wonders from the Middle East, amazing colours, architecture and stylish design. The ceremony took place amongst the sand dunes with the setting sun as the background, the scene filled with splendid dresses, holy moves and strong emotions – it was a moment to capture for real. Great show with dozens of camels and horses, the superstar entrance of the bride and a superb photography session with the friends – they all made the night unforgettable.
Wedding Ceremony in the Armani Hotel, Burj Khalifa
Fast forward a couple of hundred years, next day we find ourselves in the highest building of the world. Burj Khalifa and the Armani Hotel opens its doors for the extraordinary wedding celebration of Aliya and Rajen. The guest list is full of international celebrities, the view on one side is the magical Dubai Fountain providing us with the coolest backdrop I’ve ever seen. On the other side, there was the Burj Khalifa with its 828 metres lean body that made me get on my knees every time I wanted to take a picture of someone with the tower in the background. A night of miracles and wonderful happenings – not for the faint hearted. At one point during the night, I found my team in the hotel water-fountain. Guests with behavioural problems (according to the security who took us out of the fountain) were pouring extra dry Pierlant Blanc de Blancs Champagne all over the participants. Rajen was on the top of the guest-pile in his cool wedding suit and the members of our team were on the bottom. Around them were friends and family members laughing and shouting in ecstasy, as a full bottle of this tasty drink was literally blown up. I never enjoyed licking my lens this much, this champagne is really the best thing in the world. We finished this glorious night with the surprisingly strong Sanjay doing a few one-hand-push-ups (again in the water fountain), which raised suddenly the excitement level amongst the guests cheering from the side and brought them also into the fountain. From this point, we kind of migrated the party from the Armani Hotel ball room to the water fountain – here, I recorded some unforgettable dance moves, check out the picturesque wedding film and the wedding photos and see it for yourself.
Yuan at the Atlantis, The Palm
Last day, the 10th of April. We thought we have seen it all, but our lovely couple had more surprises and this day showed us two more faces of Dubai. The Palm, and its crown, the magnificent Atlantis was the venue for the invitation – when reaching the hotel ask the concierge for Yuan. For those unlucky, who have no idea who or what is Yuan: it’s an award-winning Chinese restaurant with a contemporary twist. A quite big twist though, the music is new-age Chinese disco and the food is from out of this world. An orgy of tastes and flavours, rather a spiritual journey than eating. The hardest decision was to figure out whether to film or eat those beautiful creations. We did both, in this order, and we also recorded some great speeches and captured big hugs in this magnificent surrounding.
Party Boat at Dubai Marina
Leaving the fresh, breezy area of the Palm is something you try to avoid, except if your next destination is the Dubai Marina. The first time I heard of it, I wasn’t very excited – see, who wants to see boats? Well, this place is like Manhattan, just double the height and density, and put it on water, filled with spaceship-style mega yachts. On the bank, Michelin-star restaurants are waiting for you side by side with shops of luxury brands and top hotels. You truly feel on the top of the world cruising this bay on a huge yacht filled with music and lights – quite surreal and amazing the same time. Thank you for all these wonders we’ve had the chance to see and experience throughout your wedding celebrations, they will be memories that we treasure for good. We wish you a life as beautiful, diverse and exciting together as your amazing wedding was!
