The First Mega Indian Wedding of 2023 in Dubai
![The First Mega Indian Wedding of 2023 in Dubai The First Mega Indian Wedding of 2023 in Dubai](https://www.arabiaweddings.com/sites/default/files/styles/max980/public/articles/2023/02/img_0554.jpg?itok=gkgQ7me1)
The first mega Indian destination wedding of 2023, spanning over 6 days, took place in Dubai. More than 1,000 guests flew in from all over the world including businessmen, celebrities, VIPs, ministers, Royal family members... and many more, who gathered to celebrate the wedding of Sania Mulk and Bilal Khalid.
Different venues in Dubai were used for the grand celebrations including The Mulk Residence in Al Barari, Madinat Jumeirah, Atlantis The Palm and Ritz Carlton Dubai.
The wedding took almost 12 months in the making. More than 100 international artists performed at the pre and post wedding celebrations. Over 40 operations executives, 50 fabricators, 12 florists and 30 chefs who created 20 different menus took part in the event.
The wedding was planned and managed by the team at Vivaah Celebrations, led by Rahul Kumar.
Take a look at all the wonderful details of this mega wedding in Dubai:
A Royal Invitation
The wedding guests received a Royal Invitation box, and instantly knew that they were invited to something quite special!
Each guest received a turquoise box with an intricate gold design and an actual fairy tale book alongside local royal delicacies.
Welcome Dinner
The celebrations kicked off with an exquisite Chandni Raat-themed welcome dinner at the at The Mulk Residence in Al Barari, Dubai. Guests were beautifully dressed in white and silver to complement this bright evening.
The beautiful Bride, Sania, had a stunning entry with her loved ones. Bridesmaids walked in with countless gorgeous shimmering LED balloons representing the Chandni Raat theme. The Bride made her way toward her Prince charming as the guests witnessed the spectacular dancing fountain show at the residence, which elevated the evening to the next level.
MC Shobhna continued the evening with interactive games and activities for the guests, followed by a renowned duo who sang the night away.
The Manjay Ceremony
The next morning, the Manjay Ceremony kickstarted the celebrations for the Bide’s side of the family hosted at The Mulk Residence at Al Barari, Dubai.
This "Sheesh Mahal" morning began as the bride walked toward the lavish garden under her beautifully-adorned flower chaadar in shades of oranges, yellows, and golds. Sania then proceeded with the Manjay rituals along with her close family members, who adorned her with jewelry and showered her with tons of fresh flower petals.
Guests enjoyed using the rickshaw photo booth to capture their memories. They interacted with the live clay bangle maker. The morning event ended with a Royal breakfast feast served.
The Sangeet Evening
The Setup:
The Sangeet evening was a "Welcome to Agrabah", Aladdin theme. It took place at Madinat Jumeirah, and it was one of the most exquisite events at this wedding. The Mehendi-Sangeet Bash at the gorgeous Fort Island at Madinat Jumeirah was inspired by the 1001 Arabian Nights and was converted into an astonishing Ottoman Night. This gorgeous setup was done by Stefanie Heller from JAM events.
Guests entered the venue through a beautiful walkway with Moroccan lamps which led them straight into the Souk Area, which was converted to Sania and Bilal’s Bazar.
The hostesses, dressed in lavish white Moroccan gowns, greeted the guests and handed over to them royal blue pouches filled with gold coins that they could redeem at the Souk carts that had beautiful handmade accessories, diaries, pens, pearl-crafted jewelry boxes, and much more.
To elevate the experience, Vivaah Celebrations had a gorgeous violinist playing some beautiful tunes. On the other side, the famous Turkish Ice Cream cart had kids giggling to his tricks, and parents enjoying this picture-perfect sight while having their ice cream.
The Party:
The evening continued with DJ Gautam playing tunes to set the guests’ mood for the exciting evening ahead. Once all the guests settled into this beautiful venue with lanterns and Moroccan-themed centerpieces, their sight went straight to the stunning menus and Agenda of the evening crafted by VC Creatives with intricate gold designs on a rich velvet print.
Celebrity Gauhar Khan, an actress also known for her win in Big Boss, and Yasir Hussain, a star from Pakistan made their Filmfare entry as they walked up the beautiful bridge of Fort Island.
The Groom's Entrance:
The Sangeet evening then officially began; after entertaining the audience, the lovely MCs welcomed the sisters from the groom’s side to bring in the Mehendi Trays like pure Royalty. The women walked in and got introduced to the guests as they placed these rich gold thalis on the stage. Soon after this, Prince Aladdin made his entry, which was one of the numerous highlights of the evening. The Prince walked in like Royalty with his LED Drum Band, SFX, and Parade of Groomsmen.
The Bride's Entrance:
Princess Sania arrived on an Abra (A Royal Boat) with a parade of 12 boats behind her with dancers in beautiful costumes. The guests witnessed another beautiful show by the DANS team choreographed by Satyen Babla. Sania then slowly made her way up the bridge as the sparklers rose and guests applauded and welcomed her.
Entertainment:
The MCs then interacted with the couple and welcomed the entry of a famous Pakistani power couple who flew in to greet the couple and this magical evening. This glorious couple was none other than Ayeza Khan and Danish Taimoori, celebrities from Pakistan.
The upcoming act blew everyone’s mind away. Most talented Indian dancer Parvati opened the Royal Kishti performance, a Royal gift exchange between the two families. She was definitely one of the bright stars of the evening!
The much-awaited Sangeet performances began with all the friends and family performing for the couple on various tracks, leaving everyone in a fun-filled mood as the guests picked up their Mocktails from the Royal Abrahbah Mocktail Bar decked in golds with the local tastes.
The Food:
The evening continued as guests relished some Royal Arabic culinary experiences put together by the talented food and beverage team at Madinat Jumeirah. The evening ended with the famous Laduree Cart alongside a range of vast desserts.
The Royal Mughal Baraat Raat
The Start:
Finally, the much-awaited night arrived - The Royal Mughal Baraat Raat. Drawing inspiration from the Mughal times, the guests were welcomed by over 50 soldiers lined up on both sides of the driveway. They saluted the guests through the driveway as their car pulled up to the beautiful Asateer tent of Atlantis on the Palm where they were further greeted by native soldiers from Africa. As the guests walked in, beautiful hostesses adorned in ethnic outfits greeted them with a Salaam – a traditional gesture of respect and welcome to the guests.
The Setup:
The venue was decked up like none other; one could smell hundreds of fresh roses all around the beautiful arena giving a rich royal feel to the evening. The Decor was inspired by Royal Mughal Palaces with Golds and Reds and a grand stage with handcrafted beautiful water fountains on each side. This event also featured custom-made plush furniture and designer tableware representing the richness of the evening, with some of the finest culinary experiences brought straight to the table like Royalty.
The Guests:
This evening saw more VIPs, as Vivaah Celebrations ensured that all protocols were implemented. Celebrities, VIP families, The Royal family, and His Highness Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan attended this spectacular evening to congratulate Mr. Shahji Nawab Ul Mulk and the newly wedded couple.
The Groom's Baraat:
The Groom’s Baraat procession was power-packed with his entourage dancing their way through a 120-meter-long stretch pathway along the entrance of Asateer. The one-hour-long Baraat saw talent from over the globe - shows, stunts, and different experiences. These dancers led the Baraat as the procession followed. Finally, guests could see the Shahenshah enter on his Royal Horse, along with his Kingsmen. Over 100 performers mesmerized the crowd; this was definitely a Baraat you wouldn’t want to miss!
The Bride's Entrance:
Shehzaadi Sania’s entrance was nothing less than a grand spectacle. Suddenly, the lights of this gorgeous venue slightly dimmed, and a soldier came running in to hand over a scroll to the MCs to announce the Royal Entrance of the Padmavat-inspired bride. Dancers danced their way in and performed a lovely act before Shehzaadi walked in with her Shamadaan dancers in her 5-meter long veil. She looked absolutely stunning in her Mughal Wedding Dress. Her Shahenshah walked over to the center of the floor, and met in the middle, surrounded by alluring flowers which reflected their love for each other. He lifted her veil, and they said their vows. Bilal then took Sania up on stage to continue the evening. The sight was surreal.
Entertainment:
The night had just begun, and breathtaking performances lined up to make this evening unforgettable. One of the most talented dancers from Pakistan, Sara Loren, gracefully performed while she took the stage and left everyone speechless which her elegance. Surrounded by background dancers complimenting her moves on Dewaani Mastani from Bajirao Mastani, it looked like a sight straight out of a movie.
The evening continued with a beautiful ring ceremony as beautiful roses were showered on the couple as they exchanged their wedding rings.
The night’s finale star performer had finally arrived. A performance that everyone was eagerly waiting for. This renowned actor and singer, who is recognized not only in Pakistan but also in India, flew to Dubai to make this evening special. It was none other than the sensational singer Ali Zafar! Guests got goosebumps as he mesmerized everyone with his soulful voice. This magical night ended with the emotional Bidai ceremony of Sania.
Walima Evening
The next day guests gathered to celebrate Sania and Bilal’s love at their Walima evening. Amidst detailed centerpieces, plush floral installations, and a blanket of fairy lights, the ‘Night under the Stars’ Walima Evening had the guests in awe of the surreal settings on a chilly evening at the Ritz Carlton Dubai.
With the views to the Ain Dubai, the couple entered as the night sky shined bright and was filled with a show-stopping fireworks display as the celebrations came to an end.
The couple had their first dance, cut their gorgeous wedding cake, and danced the night away with friends and family as DJ Sash spun behind the decks.