A play-by-play on a 3-day destination wedding I did!
Last November, I had the privilege of coordinating a remarkable 3-day destination wedding for Taj Raj Events in Dubai. The event covered a variety of captivating locations which included the Park Hyatt Marina, a temple called Guru Nanak Darbar Gurudwara, and the Park Hyatt hotel garden.
This was a unique cultural experience for me, as the wedding incorporated numerous Sikh rituals that required meticulous coordination. Fun Fact - was that the groom’s family was originally from Sri Lanka so that was cool to find out! It’s so wonderful how two different cultures can intwine in harmony.
The bride's attention to detail necessitated close follow-up and execution of various elements. She and the Head Planner, Taj (my boss) did a fantastic job together with planning the entire series of events and its details – they did think of everything!
My responsibilities included liaising with the hotel and venue to ensure seamless food and beverage services, assisting with decor setup and implementing final touches, managing vendors such as the DJ and entertainment for each day, and providing overall coordination and execution to guarantee a flawless event.
On the 1st day of the Welcome Night/Jaggo night, everything went according to plan except one thing - there were unexpected sound restrictions that arose on the day of the event. We effectively communicated with the management to find a suitable compromise.
*On a side note, I thought this could’ve been communicated to the bride & groom more clearly by the hotel itself before booking this venue - if there were sound restrictions. You do end up paying a large sum of money to host your event at these gorgeous venues so the hotels/outdoor venues really should be more transparent and communicate this more effectively.
The 2nd event which was the religious ceremony at the temple was enlightening. I am always interested and eager to learn about different cultures, so I was grateful to be part of the team for this event. Most of the guests didn’t know much about what was going on so we had to guide them throughout the entire ceremony from entrances, entrance rituals, blessings, etc. I remember being so nervous at the beginning as this was all SO NEW to me but I did all my prep and was briefed with all the information which gave me the courage to be confident and take charge!
The last event was the Wedding Reception which was basically the fun PARTY! This was a tad tough but super fun! It was 13 hours of hard work - in the heat (new to this Dubai heat BTW)! We had to flip the venue after the wedding ceremony / formalities for the reception part of the evening; in 1-2 hours during the cocktail hour which was nerve-wracking, but we pulled it off. I learned to take a break whenever I could, stay hydrated and positive throughout the day. Working long hours is tough – especially if you are on your feet 95% of the time so staying motivated and hydrated is the way to go.
All in all, it was a beautiful series of events, and the team was super fun & reliable to work with, which really made it a memorable event.
The events were all a roaring success, and the clients personally commended me for my stellar work, so it was a job well done!