For better…or worse off

Sarah Feyling, Dubai wedding planner.

They say money can't buy love - but with the average cost of a UAE wedding now standing at AED30,000 it certainly does help.

Weddings in the UAE are a multimillion-dollar industry - with Dubai in particular having become the destination of choice for couples across the world to tie the knot.

According to an independent survey carried out at last year's Bride Show Dubai, 43% of respondents said they planned to spend over AED100,000 on their nuptials with 12% budgeting a staggering AED500,000 or more for their dream wedding.

But while these figures may sound daunting to couples on tighter budgets, as our wedding experts reveal in this feature, there are options on offer to suit most budgets when it comes to tying the knot in Dubai - and with a little careful planning you can get the wedding you want at a price that suits you.

Wedding ceremonies

The first cost to consider when planning your wedding budget is the cost of your wedding ceremony - and the paperwork needed in order to legalise your marriage in Dubai.

Wedding ceremony costs differ of course according to your religious denomination.

In the case of Christian weddings there is usually a fee to be paid for the conducting of the ceremony.

Anglican weddings are carried out at the Holy Trinity Church in Oud Metha, Christ Church in Jebel Ali and St Martin's Church in Sharjah.

The cost for the ceremony conducted by the chaplain is around AED850 while AED850 is charged for a marriage ceremony outside the Holy Trinity Church.

It costs AED50 for extra copies of the marriage certificate. For the ceremony to take place the church requires both the partners' passports, at least one residence permit, original baptism certificates, one passport photo each and two witnesses over the age of 18. At least one month's notice is required for couples to book their wedding at Anglican churches in Dubai - but not more than one year's notice can be given.

Roman Catholic marriages are conducted at the St Mary's Church in Oud Metha. No formal charge is required however, the church asks for a donation in return for the ceremony being conducted there.

Documents required for the ceremony to take place are the same as for the Anglican Church, in addition to a birth certificate if one partner is not Catholic and a letter stating the couple are free to marry - or a letter from the embassy of a partner who is not Catholic. If a partner is under 21 then a letter of consent is needed from their parents.

In the case of Muslim marriages, a Muslim groom can marry a bride at the Dubai Court - or Sharia Court.

For this to take place both passports, a residence permit, proof that the groom is Muslim, two male witnesses or four female ones and a power of attorney letter are required.

The father or closest male relative of the bride must also attend the ceremony as a witness. There is a AED50 service charge for the ceremony to take place.

Hindu marriages take place at the Hindu Temple in Dubai and are conducted by the Maharaj. The temple is run in conjunction with the Indian consulate and there is no charge for the ceremony to take place.

Completed application forms, both parties' passports, a copy of the passports of both sets of parents are required as well as an attested affidavit from the Indian Embassy that both parties are free to get married.

The process of legalising a marriage in Dubai can be a long, drawn-out and costly one for couples. Marriage certificates must be translated into Arabic then attested at the Dubai Court, stamped at the Ministry of Justice and Foreign Affairs then registered at the couple's embassy - a process that costs around AED500. The Dubai Court will retain one English copy of the marriage certificate plus the Arabic translation and the couple will be given one certified English marriage certificate.

Dubai-based wedding planner Sarah Feyling advises couples to set aside up to a day for the processing of the paperwork to legalise their marriage.

"Just to authenticate the marriage you need to translate the marriage certificate into Arabic then to go to the Dubai Courts and register it there then they take a copy of the marriage certificate. You then go to the Ministry of Justice and have it stamped, then to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to also get it stamped there. It's a full day just to do all that," she claims.

It is possible for Christians in Dubai to have a religious ceremony but in a venue of their choice.

However as Feyling points out, this depends on the discretion of the church and couples would have to pay an extra charge to the church itself as well as to the hotel where they conduct the ceremony.

"There are only certain churches such as the Uniteed Christian Church that will allow you to get married outside the church. You have to get married legally in the church first though then pay the same fee again if you then get married say on the beach - so it ends up being double the cost. The different hotels have different charges for holding ceremonies there. Many couples choose to get married on the beach. At the Ritz Carlton you can get married on a grass area in front of the beach and that costs around AED3,000 and it costs AED4,500 to get married at the Jumeirah Beach Hotel."

Civil ceremonies can take place in the UAE providing the couple's embassy provides the service.

Embassies that perform marriage ceremonies include the German, Indian, Italian, Egyptian, Sri Lankan and Philippine embassies.

The US, Canadian, Australian, Lebanese and Pakistan embassies are among those that do not.

Print | Email | Discuss this article |

USER COMMENTS (0 COMMENTS)

POST A COMMENT

CLICK HERE TO POST A COMMENT

Add your Comment All posts are sent to the administrator for review and are published only after approval. ArabianBusiness.com reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic.
Name *
Remember me on this computer
Email *	(Your email address will not be published)
City
Country
Subject *
Comment *
Notify me of further comments
Security Code *
Please click post only once - your comment will not be published immediately.