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Confessions of a Real Bride: Lana Nijem

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Confessions of a Real Bride: Lana Nijem

Lana and Ahmad met in Los Angeles, where Lana was doing her bachelor’s degree. They got married at Le Royal Amman, Jordan.

Here is what Lana had to say about her wedding planning experience:

  • How did you and your spouse meet?

We met in Los Angeles, where I had temporarily moved to finish my bachelor’s degree. After several weeks of being home sick I decided to fly home to San Francisco to visit my family. After returning, it was through a group outing that I had a conversation with Ahmad and it was history from there.

  • Did you hire a wedding planner or planned the wedding yourself?

I started planning my wedding about a year before, but seeing that I don't live in Amman I found it a complete must to hire a planner.

I searched through Arabia Weddings for planners and it was extremely hard to communicate with a lot of them. Some just wanted my money since I had an open budget and would not discuss details until I placed a deposit. However, I stood my ground and kept scrolling down the list until I found Oscar Wedding Planning. It ended up being the best decision I ever made. Ali Abu Ghrib is an artist; I gave him my vision and he made it come together.

Confessions of a Real Bride: Lana Nijem

  • What is the best advice you can give any bride-to-be?

Be open minded, know exactly what you want, go big and enjoy ever second because it will all flash before your eyes.

  • What was the theme or color scheme you picked for your wedding?

My color theme was mainly white with hints of lavender and lots of bling. The theme we had in mind was classic elegance. Like a 1920's ball. We didn't want our wedding to be boring and basic, so we added many surprises. From our grand entrance with Oscar Group to our surprise Tango after dinner and a flash video clip of Ahmad singing to me. We decided to skip out on the traditional routines. For our slow song I sang to Ahmad.

  • Do you recommend specific suppliers you worked with?

Yes, Oscar Group, for a wedding show that will get your guests’ full attention. Oscar Wedding Planning, every single staff member is beyond helpful, from the talented photography team, DJ Joker and of course Ali Abu Ghrib.

Mayar Flowers in Sweifieh, Jamal is wonderful and nothing less than amazing.

My centerpieces and Kosheh were better than I imagined.

Fairy Dust Salon, Sahar Al Jobri is an extremely talented makeup artist, she uses techniques that I haven't seen advertised at other big salons in Amman.

Confessions of a Real Bride: Lana Nijem

Samer at Fairy Dust is also amazing, he made my hair look flawless and gave me the wow factor I wanted.

2 Rings Sweifieh wedding cards, very pricey but the quality and customization was worth it.

Confessions of a Real Bride: Lana Nijem

"Be open minded, know exactly what you want,

go big and enjoy ever second because it will all flash before your eyes."

  • Did you face any surprises?

Yes, the first surprise was amazing, it was when I shopped for my dress. I couldn't find "the one." I was really interested in two designers Lazzaro or YSA Makino but kept an open mind. I started running out of time since each dress took a minimum of 6 months.

Confessions of a Real Bride: Lana Nijem

It wasn't until I met a manager at one of the stores and explained my vision of my dream dress, that he sent me a sketch of a dress that was everything I asked for, just by looking at the sketch I teared up, and it was by YSA Makino! So I said, yes to the dress.

  • Do you consider yourself as a relaxed bride or more of a bridezilla?

I was bridezilla the entire time I was in the U.S but after arriving to Amman and meeting with all my vendors, I became relaxed and so excited to marry my best friend.

Confessions of a Real Bride: Lana Nijem

  • Describe your wedding day and the planning process.

We didn't want our wedding to be boring and basic, so we added many surprises and eliminated the same basic routines...Before we entered we displayed a slideshow that we made in San Francisco and the Dead Sea to incorporate our Arabic side as well.

After the slide show, Oscar Group performed and welcomed us into our grand entrance. After dinner, I changed my hair and put on a shorter dress to perform our surprise Tango.

After our dance, Oscar performed and I changed back into my wedding dress. I also wanted to be unique so I added a lot of personal touches, I handmade the Mr. and Mrs. sign on our Kosheh.

  • Did Arabia Weddings help you in your wedding planning?

Yes! Arabia Weddings is amazing!

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