Five settings on the Gulf
The Gulf coast of the United Arab Emirates offers weddings on very different scales. One resort holds a ceremony for eight people on a helipad, another seats 350 in an amphitheatre, and a fifth uses a glass-roofed hall in the middle of a media district. The five places below sit on the water or close to it, from Dubai Marina to Ras Al Khaimah.
Each one publishes its wedding spaces and capacities but not a wedding price, so the figures here describe rooms and guests, not cost.
One&Only Royal Mirage, gardens and a private beach
One&Only Royal Mirage stands on the Gulf coast of Dubai within 65 acres of palm-filled gardens, with a one-kilometre private beach along its shore. Its rooms and suites are divided between Arabian Court and The Residence, and the spa includes an Oriental Hammam.
Weddings use Al Koufa Fort, the Oval Garden and the Amphitheatre, which seat 100, 200 and 350 guests and can be booked together or apart. Peregrine Courtyard, an open-air space at Arabian Court, takes up to 120. Every banquet venue can be reserved exclusively, and the whole resort can be bought out, subject to availability and season. The resort does not officiate, so couples bring their own officiant.
Guests who stay have a long list of things to do on the grounds. Dining includes Eauzone, The Rotisserie, the DRIFT Dubai beach club and Nayara, and the resort has tennis and padel courts, a mini golf course and water sports on the beach. Rooms range from the Deluxe Room to the Junior, Executive, Rooftop and Prince suites, so a wedding party can be housed in one place. The One&Only Spa and the Oriental Hammam suit the days before the ceremony, and parking is free.
Read the issue covers the resort as a magazine issue.
Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, a ceremony above the sea
Jumeirah Burj Al Arab stands on a man-made island 280 metres off Jumeirah Beach, linked to the mainland by a causeway. The tower rises 321 metres and holds an all-suite hotel of two-storey duplex suites, each with its own butler. Guests arrive by chauffeur-driven Rolls-Royce or by helicopter.
Several spaces serve a wedding. The helipad, 212 metres above the Gulf, is reserved for small ceremonies of up to 8 guests. The Marina Garden is an open-air lawn seating 100 to 150, and the Al Falak Ballroom, modelled on a Viennese opera house, takes up to 250 seated guests or 300 standing. The Suha and Tameen rooms on the 27th floor hold up to 60.
The hotel is undergoing a phased restoration, so confirm wedding availability before planning around a date.
The suites run from 170 to 670 sq m and are laid out over two floors, from the Duplex One Bedroom Suite to the Duplex Presidential Two Bedroom Suite. The Terrace below the tower has two pools, 32 cabanas and a stretch of private sand, and Talise Spa sits 150 metres above the water. The hotel also has Michelin-starred dining, and menus for a wedding are written with the hotel’s own chefs. Dubai International Airport is about 25 km away, 25 to 30 minutes by car.
Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, an Ottoman palace on the Palm
Jumeirah Zabeel Saray sits on the West Crescent of Palm Jumeirah and is built in the manner of the Ottoman palaces of Turkey, with hand-painted ceilings, crafted marble and crystal chandeliers. It has 405 rooms and suites and 38 Royal Villas, a private beach and nine restaurants and bars.
Weddings are held at a private beach gazebo that looks over the Arabian Gulf at sunset. Indoors, the Glasshouse has a dedicated entrance, a built-in PA system and valet parking, and takes up to 200 guests. The Talise Ottoman Spa has a Turkish hammam, thalassotherapy pools and snow rooms. Dubai International Airport is 39 km away, about 30 minutes by car.
The accommodation reaches well beyond a standard room. The Deluxe Ocean Skyline Room sits at the entry end, and the Royal Suite and the four- and five-bedroom Royal Villas suit a family or a bridal party. The nine restaurants and bars serve Lebanese, Indian, Japanese, Turkish and Mediterranean cuisine, and the lagoon pool sits among tropical gardens at the centre of the resort.
Anantara Mina Al Arab, overwater villas in Ras Al Khaimah
Anantara Mina Ras Al Khaimah Resort stands on a private peninsula in Mina Al Arab, in the northernmost emirate of the UAE. Water surrounds it on three sides, with protected mangroves beside it and the Hajar mountains inland. Its 174 rooms, suites and pool villas include the emirate’s first overwater villas.
Celebrations are held on the lawn and the private beach, each set for 300 guests seated or 450 standing. Couples can renew their vows on the sand at sunset beneath a floral arch, followed by a candlelit dinner served by a butler. The drive from Ras Al Khaimah International Airport takes 30 minutes, and from Dubai International about 45. Six restaurants and bars include Beach House and Mekong, and Anantara Spa works from traditional Thai healing.
Rooms start at the Premier and Deluxe rooms and rise through the Deluxe Suite to the Peninsula Sea View Pool Villa and the Over Water Pool Villa, with two-bedroom overwater villas at the top. Beach House serves Mediterranean dishes and Mekong serves Thai, Chinese and Vietnamese. Anantara Spa has seven treatment rooms and two couples’ suites, and guests can kayak through the mangroves or try other water sports from the beach.
Arjaan by Rotana, a glass-roofed hall in Media City
Arjaan by Rotana Dubai Media City opened in October 2008 beside the Dubai Media City tram station, minutes from JBR, Dubai Marina and The Palm Jumeirah. It combines hotel rooms, suites and furnished apartments, many with balconies or private plunge pools.
Weddings are held in Skylight, a 562 sqm hall with a panoramic glass ceiling and white arched walls. Catering is prepared in-house with seated and buffet service, couples are given a private bridal room and a complimentary dry drink, and the hotel can be taken on an exclusive basis. The hotel confirms the capacity for each layout, so ask for the figure that suits the plan.
The property has 242 keys, in hotel rooms, suites and furnished apartments. Guests have three places to eat, Cilantro, Veranda by the pool and Cilantro Cafe, along with a temperature-controlled pool, a jacuzzi and the Bodylines Fitness & Wellness Club. Dubai International Airport is 26 km away, and the tram station next door links the hotel to the rest of the Marina district.
Choosing between them
Count the guests first. At the Burj Al Arab a helipad ceremony holds 8 and the ballroom 250 seated. At Royal Mirage the amphitheatre reaches 350, at Anantara the lawn or beach reaches 300 seated or 450 standing, and the Glasshouse at Zabeel Saray takes 200. Arjaan gives its figure on request.
Then choose the setting. Royal Mirage, Zabeel Saray and Anantara place the ceremony on sand or lawn at the water’s edge. The Burj Al Arab places it above the sea or in a ballroom. Arjaan offers an indoor hall with natural light from above.
Ask each hotel which of its spaces the date allows, what a package includes, and how many guests a ceremony takes as against a reception, because the two figures differ. Ask whether the venue can be reserved exclusively, and how guests reach it from the airport.
