Confessions of a Real Bride: Rema Shalan
Rema Shalan and Noor Jaber met on an Arab dating website and got married on July 5, 2013 at the Landmark Hotel in Amman, Jordan.
- Tell us more on how you met:
We met on an Arab dating website. We decided to meet for lunch and it ended up being a 12 hour date; lunch, shopping, movie, dinner and coffee.
We dated for 5 years, I was in college and he was in med-school. After I graduated and he completed residency, we decided it was time to get married.
- Did you hire a wedding planner or planned the wedding yourself?
We hired a wedding planner, Sulaf from Shahin and Shahin. She took care of everything. It was very difficult trying to plan a wedding in Jordan while living in the United States.
I emailed her what flowers I like, what I wanted on our stage, what I wanted the tables and center pieces to look like and everything turned out better than expected! She was wonderful to work with.
"Hire a planner and relax!"
- What is the biggest advice you can give any bride-to-be?
Hire a planner and relax! There is a lot of work and details that go into a wedding and an expert will know what needs to be done to ensure your day turns out spectacular!
- What was the theme or color scheme you picked for your wedding?
Champagne, gold, light pink and white. I wanted to look back on my pictures in 50 years and see timeless elegance and love.
- Do you recommend specific suppliers you worked with?
Yes, Sulaf from Shahin and Shahin
"I wanted to look back on my pictures in 50 years and see timeless elegance and love..."
- Did you face any surprises?
Yes, but all great surprises. When we saw the venue all set up it looked better than we had imagined!
We saw and approved the menu, and when it came time to see the buffet it was huge. Everyone was talking about the food weeks after the wedding.
The indoor fireworks show were also unexpected. It was during our slow dance and made our pictures amazing.
Also, the most surprising part of the night was when Noor sang to me during our slow dance. I had no idea he was planning that. I think it was the best part of the evening.
- Do you consider yourself as a relaxed bride or more of a bridezilla?
Relaxed because I hired a planner.
