We are currently planning our wedding and were checking the beach hotels in Dubai for their menues, prices and services. As we will do the ceremony in the Sri Lankan Consulate in Abu Dhabi, we decided it would be too far to drive all the way to a Resort in Fujeirah, as this would probably waste 4 hours of our wedding day.
Though the hotels in Dubai are not really doing well, but their prices are still quiet high. I think with round about 50 guests, my wedding reception is far too small compared to Indian and Arabic weddings with several hundred of guests. One hotel even asked for a minimum spend of 45,000 Dhs. (=9,000 EUR)! A good friend of mine works in a hotel and offered me a really competetive price for a wedding party on their roof top terrace. I know I can have a beach wedding in Sri Lanka as well, but this is our special day and I don’t want to be stingy, I just want it to be really special and enjoyable!
As usual I just needed a little bit of luck. Nayan was abroad at my birthday, so I decided to join some friends in Ras al Kheimah for a desert barbecue. There I met a lovely girl, who is a Sales Coordinator for The Cove Rotana, a newly opened beach resort with that very special touch of nubian style bungalows along a man-made cove with stunning beach.
Nayan and me visited her one day and she took us around everywhere showing us several rooms and villas from inside as well as their Spa. She invited us for lunch to try their delicious buffet and enjoy the view and fresh air. Of course a wedding here is not the cheapest option, but compared to what other hotels offered for that price, we get a much better deal here. They’ve set up a special BBQ menu and added some German delicacies and a huge variety of salads and desserts. They will put the buffet next to the beach, with the dining tables and dancefloor right into the sand. So we can dance without the uncomfortable wedding shoes.
The most important thing though is that our familys and my best friends from Germany, Sri Lanka and Dubai are attending our wedding. We really look forward to a great beach party with great people making this one of the happiest days of our life. The lucky couple gets a complimentary villa and massage, too, so now we only need to negotiate the rates for friends and family.