A Romantic Real Wedding at The Kempinski Palm Jumeirah Dubai

“I walked down to the song ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow’ which has always had a huge amount of meaning for me. It was the soundtrack to one of the happiest moments of my life”

The couple: Cara Cai Macdonald & Ross Wilson Macdonald
Length of engagement: 6 years | Wedding date: March 5th 2015
Wedding venue: Kempinski Palm Jumeirah, Dubai
Photographer: Women in Wedding

We met… through work. We both came to the UAE to contnue our careers in radio; Ross in journalism and mine in sales. We occasionally spoke in the office but it was on a night out that we happened to meet up and have our first proper conversation which led to where we are now… married with a baby!

Our proposal… we had chosen the ring together but I didn’t know when or where he was going to pop the question. A few weeks later he surprised me at home. I was sitting on the couch when he told me he was just popping outside for a second. I didn’t think much of it and continued to watch TV. About 5 minutes later (I thougth he was gone for awhile) I heard a knock on the back door. When I went to open it, there he was on his knee with ring in hand. He had dressed up our terrace with flowers candles and a bottle of bubbly. Very romantic!

My dress… I couldn’t find anything I liked so I decided to have one made. Barbara Newcombe was recommended to me by a friend and she was fantastic! I had a picture of the type of dress I liked and from that she made it to suit my body shape. The final product was amazing. I couldn’t have been happier.

Our ceremony… was something extremely special for the two of us, held on the beach at the hotel on the Palm. My closest friend in Dubai acted as the celebrant sharing some of her experiences of our relationship and how she had watched us grow together. We also had a member of each family speak – my sister read a poem while Ross’ aunt wrote a special message linked back to the Scottish poet Robert Burns. For us it was absolutely perfect. It had the ideal balance of light humour and love.

His suit… was not so much a suit but traditional Scottish wedding-wear; a kilt in his Macdonald tartan with a Bonnie Prince Charlie jacket and waistcoat and bowtie.

We chose our venue because… Kempinski Palm Jumeirah had everything we were looking for in the one place. Beach, garden, skyline view and nightclub. We had 4 areas on the day – the ceremony on the beach right on the sand, cocktails in the beautiful gardens, the dinner reception outside on a massive balcony in the penthouse with a view of Dubai and lastly a nightclub area to dance well into the night. The night was so clear with a full moon, you could see both Burj’s while we sat and ate dinner.

We chose our photographer because… we really liked the natural shots Women in Wedding had taken for other clients and that was what we were looking for. Another easy decision maker was the fact they come as a pair. Having two photogrpahers meant they were able to capture a variety of different moments and while we did family shots, we were still getting pictures of our friends at the reception.

We chose our wedding coordinator because… Couture Events came highly recommended by a close friend. Sarah Feyling from Couture Events has been running events in the UAE for years and guided us through every step like a true pro. Nothing was too much trouble and we had fun as we went along. She was phenomenal and our day would not have been as special had it not been for her. We also used another friend’s recommendations for décor. Joelle Clute from My Lovely Wedding did an amazing job of designing the day exactly as we imagined – Vintage Chic!

My favourite part of the wedding day… Walking down the aisle. Seeing all my friends and family smiling up at me and having Ross waiting for me on the beach at this incredible setting; it’s the stuff we dream of our whole lives. I walked down to the song ‘Somewhere over the Rainbow’ which has always had a huge amount of meaning for me. It was the soundtrack to one of the happiest moments of my life.

My piece of advice for other brides… Enjoy all parts of the planning stage, it really is so much fun. Try not to get too caught up on the finer details as on the day no one will notice if something is out of place or missing. Definitely get a wedding planner. OMG, they take so much stress off you so you are able to enjoy every moment beforehand and most importantly on the day.

Suppliers: Wedding planner: Sarah Feyling from Couture Events | Décor: Joelle Clute from My Lovely Wedding | Cake: Cakes by Erica | Dressmaker/designer: Barbara Newcombe | Makeup: Chloe Widera | Hair Stylist: Kaya Guerreiro Yasmine | Bridesmaid Dresses: The Glamour Room, Adelaide Australia

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Pamela Mahon

weddingsonline.ie Editor Pam enjoys writing about all things décor (she loves buying it too!) and has a not so secret addiction to stationery. Her favourite section on the site is the galleries and she can often be found lurking in the fashion and beauty forums as well.

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