Emirati weddings are large and impressive events, but not many foreigners have had the honor to be invited and experience such an event. Today I sat with my Emirati friend and fellow designer Eman Khamis who explained to me the traditions of an Emirati wedding. It was a very interesting afternoon in which I learned many new things. I’d like to share that with you.

First, the mothers of both parties involved must agree on the marriage, and in a lot of cases, they are the ones who arranged the meeting.

The legal engagement:
The legal engagement – called “milcha” – is usually done on the same day of the engagement party. The “milcha” is when the marriage is made legal by a religious Sheikh and a marriage contract is drawn up and authenticated.
The bride receives her dowry – “al maher”–which could be money and/or jewelry. The bride and the groom celebrate both separately, amongst friends and family.

The preparations:
Right after the engagement, the bride and the groom will set a wedding date. Picking a venue comes next and ordering the bridal wear in third.
The wedding celebrations are strictly separate for men and women, and it is the bride’s wedding celebration that is considered the wedding day. The groom’s celebration day comes a few hours before, but it is the bride’s night celebration that receives the big focus. The groom usually pays for both celebrations and it is not uncommon to have a 300,000 AED ($82,000) wedding bill, just for the bride’s wedding celebration alone. One thing which captured my mind: the invitation cards for the approximately 500 guests don’t mention a RSVP request. Why? In line with the Arabic hospitality tradition, guests are always welcome and they always have a seat at the wedding, even at the last minute!

The Henna night:
Two days before the wedding, the bride hosts a night of Henna decoration with her friends and family.

The wedding day:
The wedding day is a very special day for the Emirati bride. Early morning, she heads up to beauty specialists for grooming while her close family members take care of the event planning chores.

The wedding usually starts quite late; around 7pm. Family members welcome their guests who are arriving in style at the ballroom. One thing particular about their guests is that they are all ladies. They are greeted by hostesses with traditional scents called “dahen 3oud wabakhour” while religious Anasheid are played in the background. Since there are no men present, guests have the choice to stay in their traditional Abbaya (long black dress) or remove it, displaying latest designer wear.
Some brides offer a great show to their guests, ranging from dancers to acrobats or even a whole Arabic orchestra. The DJ is the master of the ceremony in the sense that he announces all major highlights during the wedding. He can’t see the party, however; he’s hiding behind curtains.
The celebration goes on for a few hours. Guests are served appetizers and non-alcoholic drinks and wait eagerly for the bride’s official entrance. Around 10:30pm, the DJ announces “here comes the bride” and all looks head towards the kocha (the lounge chair set-up) and the catwalk custom-designed to the bride’s taste. The bride walks in slowly on the tunes of the khaleeji zaffa, adorning her biggest smile with a spotlight following her. This is HER moment.

The photographer and the videographer take snapshots of her until she sits on her own lounge chair, alone. She enjoys taking personal photos for around 20 minutes, while the main course is served to guests. Relatives join her eventually for more photo taking. Note that there’s no time for dinner for the bride.
Around an hour later, the DJ will announce the entrance of the groom, usually accompanied by two men from the bride’s family. It’s time for everybody to wear their Abbayas again, even the bride, covering herself with a big white coat matching her designer dress.The groom walks down the catwalk to meet the bride, gently giving her a kiss on her forehead. It’s a respectful loving way of greeting his new wife. They both enjoy taking photos together and with the close relatives coming their way to congratulate them.

Usually, around that time, the wedding celebrations are ending but close relatives and friends can stay up late to enjoy more of the celebrations. Emirati weddings are very close to the heart of Emirati single ladies, clearly because generous grooms will give them great moments under the spotlight.

As for gift registry, only if you are really close to the bride and groom, you can send a gift in advance; and for taking photos during the ceremony, it’s usually forbidden and might cause some offense so better leave your camera at home.