An Emirati wedding!

Imagine an underground carpark about the size of an atheletes track about 200m long, a live stage set with 100m full screen backdrop, a stylised ocean theme filled with 4000 of the most beautiful female guests dressed in the most exquisite gowns and you really have the makings of a night to remember.

I have just come back from an amazing wedding reception and am compelled to write about it as it was one of the most breathtaking celebrations I've ever taken part in. Emirati weddings are celebrated by women and men separately and so we arrived at 8:30pm to this all women event dressed in long gowns with boleros and delicate sandals.

As we neared the entrance to the Trade Centre the soundscape of chanting males engulfed us. Men of all ages, dressed in long white kandoora, red headscarfs and lined up in rows were dancing a traditional dance with sticks. The dance movements of the old and young alike, the words of preparation for past battles, and the stick-spinning and air-throwing techniques reflected the richness of poetry and story-telling which are central to the Emirati living heritage.

Being enthralled by the men and the grandeur of this spectacle at the front entrance, we were almost enticed not to venture inside, but as we were deliberating whether to absorb the present moment or move inside we were swept inside by many highly-scented Emirati women in very elegant black head to floor cloaks most with hoods called abayas. We went with the flow and not wanting to move past the men, we soon found ourselves swept indoors and facing security much like an airport check-in except managed by female only police. We were asked to hand-in phones and we and our clutches were scanned. On the other side of the scanning machines awaited a few buggies with svelte-figured female drivers dressed in white. I felt as if I was on a movie set of a fabulous sci-fi movie about women who run the world and wondered if the movie indeed was inspired by the Middle East... The air was thick with anticipation; beneath the flowing abayas were spotted diamonds daring to sparkle through the woven cloth. Beautiful smiling eyes sparkling with even greater beauty greeted each other warmly as women kissed and hugged before taking in the surroundings we were about to enter. In the hallway as far as the eye could see the 10-12m walls were adorned in cream and beige silk wall hangings printed with gold block-print geometric patterns. We decided to walk the aquamarine carpet to take in the scenery.

The woody scent of bukhoor welcomed us at the entrance to the reception. In front of me was a white stage with a massive neon light sculpture the height of a 2 story building and the width of a basketball court. Its flowing curves was fashioned into the crest of a wave about to break on the shore I was standing on. i turned my head to the right and saw about 50 plus rows of long curved tables draped in white that wrapped around the stage. I turned to the left and saw even more tables. We stood in awe for about 5 mins before realising we were blocking the entrance...

The neon light sculpture cast a light blue hue on the white tablecloths and clothed chairs. Within the sea of tables curving the stage, our eyes scanned for familiar faces. We located friends quickly and after exchanging greetings sat down to absorb the activity going on around us. People were gliding with purposeful strides to find tables for their friends and families; stopped in their tracks as greetings were exchanged by the customary kiss on each side of the cheek. Sometimes, once on one side followed by twice on the other side. Most ladies had left their abayas on leaving the front of their black gowns open to reveal either the traditional kandooras or the more elegant thoab or designer silk satin and chiffon gowns some encrusted with pearls, diamonds or other jewels. The women who dressed traditionally often wore burqas - a leather cloth covering the forehead and the mouth. I was surprised to see many young ladies wearing these, revealing their eyes and a little of their colourful kandooras. Many women had their waist length hair most often in curly ringlets revealed. Children were all dressed elegantly in long gowns and slippers. Their shiny curled locks were either pinned up or they wore their tresses down with flower arrangements, diamond hairbands or clips adorning their hair. They seemed to enjoy mingling with the adults.

The table was laden with beautiful cutlery. White and silver rimmed square dinner sets in 4 layers awaited us. Still water was served in very fine swirl etched cocktail glasses from beautiful frosted Fillico glass bottles, each adorned with blue Swarovski crystals. The centrepiece of each table was a glass sculpture with an abstract representation of a wave, the crests of which were very long stems of white orchids tumbling down onto the tablecloths. Blue chocolates were piled up on cake servers and bowls of nuts and white and blue yoghurt coated almonds completed the picture.

An abundant spread of hummus, labneh, moutable, tabouli, vine leaves, cheese balls rolled in zatar herbs and pita bread was presented delightfully in little dishes in front of each guest. Waitresses just did a magnificent job. There were two types - what I would call waitresses and hostesses. The hostesses were dressed in black hijab (a tight head covering to keep hair in place) who wore white sheer veils with silver star sparkles and were wrapped in white silky cloths. They first served us Arabic coffee with an aromatic cardamon flavour in small glasses from silver Arabic coffee pots called dallah. This was followed by servings of a ginger and almond sweet hot appetizer with a glutinous texture. It was quite tasty, but very sweet! Also sweet were the legaimat which are small doughnuts dripping in a warm honey sauce and sprinkled lightly with sesame seed. As we were being served these warm appetizers, hostesses visited us frequently with a scented oil in a large square bottle with a dipstick. We dabbed the gorgeous scent on the underside of our wrists and rubbed a little behind the ears. Next came the bukhoor which is an exquisitely scented wood burning in an incense burner. We waved our hair through the smoke and the hostess held the burning incense between us so that the smoke would permeate our clothing.

I need to add that all this time we were waiting for the arrival of the bride. Traditionally she doesn't turn up till quite late in the evening usually after dinner's been served.

While absorbing some of the viusals immediately within our personal space, live Arabic performers sang on stage. A male voice sung long poetic ballads to pre-recorded oud, drums and ensemble music. It was difficult to see him in the distance but 4 large screens (at least the size of football screens) were placed on the 4 walls enabling everybody to get a close-up view of the activity on the stage. A number of dancing girls with long hair swayed to the rhythm, often breaking out into swift movements of neck and head swinging their long tresses. As my eyes ventured out of my personal space I looked up. The massive hall was painted black as in a huge theatre auditorium...the rigging in the ceiling and the number of spot lights and other down lighting with gels contributed to our anticipation of an event that was about to happen... fairy lights adorned all the vacant space on the walls and waves of light softly flowed in rhythm with the scent as it wafted around us.

The colours of the water and the rhythms of the shore played an important part of this upcoming marriage and it was then that I understood the symbolism of the water. The Emirati bride was about to marry a Bahraini and the Arabic meaning and literal translation of Bahrain is 'two seas'...

We waited imaptiently for the bride to arrive knowing full well that this was one emotional day for her. I could imagine the courage one would have to muster in order to rise to the occasion...

But there was no time for listening to the swelling of thoughts for the first main course was being served...

...the colours were vivid...platters of rice caught my eye -golden sunset saffron yellow with touches of fiery red contrasted with the coolness of dilled rice. Goat, mutton and chicken in curry sauces, okra stew and fish dressed in red whetted everbody's appetites...

A change of mood...walkie talkies were out and security were clearing the middle aisle...could this be the time for the bride...

A voice, a video clip of a charming Prince appeared on the huge screen. In Arabic he spoke of his affection for his Princess...the crowd listened, laughed and cheered..and the clapping soundscape was soon overlapped by the whirring of motors; we looked up and out of the ceiling descended a huge oblong shape with a glass top. The rectangular obelisk measured approximately 100m in length and was about 1-5 m in width...

We felt the presence of the bride before our eyes made her presence known to us. She appeared on stage and on the four walls of the massive room. The ululations and greetings of Emirati women resonated around the room with an oscillating reverberation almost as wide as that of the brilliant rose gems that shone a trail of glittering light as the bride ventured forward. Mum and sisters at her side, with her, holding her as she slowly walked past our moonstruck eyes.

She breathed heavily, glancing at everyone in the eyes, often showing the most beautiful smile and connecting with an emotional energy to all present in the room...not only did the gems sparkle...

On her return to the stage, accompanied by female family members and we listened to the Prince reciting a poem he had written to her. He spoke of Youssef, a handsome Prophet whose legend tells us that he was such a beautiful human being that half of his beauty was distributed among the people of the earth), jameela (beauty) and hayaty (life). [Hania help...I couldn't understand more than this...please enlighten...] and the bride sparkled, and the guests sparkled...

As soon as the bride sat down, the dancers appeared on stage and dessert was served. Chocolate mousse, umm ali (bread pudding), flan, and local pastries appeared.

...still writing...