The Wedding Fair by Emaar Hospitality Group is almost here. The region’s largest outdoor wedding event is taking place in the heart of Downtown Dubai at Burj Park on 3 & 4 February, 2017. The wedding fair has the hallmarks of a must attend event to add to your Dubai diary and is the go to place to find out what’s in and what’s not this year.
Bringing together the ability to showcase each of Emaar Hospitality Group’s wedding venues from the spectacular to the intimate, the outdoor and the unique, with the region’s top wedding providers, including planners, designers, make-up artists and florists, we asked the experts what they thought would be the top wedding trends in 2017.
Garden Weddings
Alma Au Yeung, Group Director of Lifestyle Events, Sponsorships & Partnerships, Emaar Hospitality Group:
“Garden weddings and outdoor venues with a view are going to be a big trend for 2017. Alternatives to the traditional hotel ballroom are still big with requests for restaurant take-overs and unique spots within grounds that are not typically marketed for weddings are very much in demand.”
Up close and personal
Barbaranne Heaton, Creative Director, House of Morai:
“Brides in Dubai are pushing the boundaries and breaking away from past traditions; couples are striving for something less traditional and more personal to them probably thanks to Pinterest. The rustic vibe is in demand creating more demand for Western influenced wedding stylists who can really transform venues.”
Emma Pope, Director of Lifestyle Events, Emaar Hospitality Group:
“It’s all about personalisation in 2017. Couples are getting involved like never before and curating their big day so they can share something meaningful and relevant to them with their guests. With that, we are seeing more demand for tailor made food menus, dessert stations that fit into the overall theme of the wedding and signature drinks are very much in favour.”
Greenery is the new black
Reesha Almeida Coutinho, Founder and Creative Director of Prêt à Papier – Invitations and Stationery:
“With Pantone announcing Greenery as their colour of the year 2017, we are seeing couples moving towards natural and earthy colour schemes for their invitations as well as garden themes with floral and leaf patterns. Natural fabrics like hessian and burlap are still popular to complement their invitations and ultimately their decor. We also love the use of creative foils that mimic natural stone like marble and agate, shells like abalone and beaten or brushed metals. We think couples might be moving towards copper or antique brass and bronze as their metals of choice this year. We also see a preference for watercolour, customised maps and elegant calligraphy.”
The fair is a carefully curated affair across four pavilions focused on Arabian, African, South Asian and Western weddings. The Wedding Fair brings together everything you need to know under one roof with a hand-picked range of exhibitors including leading wedding planners such as Ali Bakhtir, bespoke stationary designers Prêt a Papier, milliner Hayley Marsden and bespoke wedding dress designer House of Morai to name a few.
The expert event teams from across Emaar Hospitality Group’s venues will also be on hand to talk you through venue options, themes, menus, itineraries, running order, décor and offer invaluable advice on how to convert your ideas into reality.
Entry to the Wedding Fair is free of charge on 3 & 4 February at Burj Park, Downtown Dubai.
