Bridal Tips from the Top

Lara Mansour   |   10-05-2016

From designers to wedding planners, who are more in the know than most about weddings. We chat to them to get their top tips and advice, for the perfect day.

Zainab Alsalih

Managing Director at Carousel Events

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Zainab Alsalih

Born in Baghdad and raised in Europe and the Gulf, Zainab Alsalih moved to Dubai in 1990, working as a banker. However, she always had a talent for planning memorable parties and dinners for family and friends. This led to her into wedding planning as a career, a business, and life-style choice, with the successful company, Carousel Events. Married almost 19 years ago, Zainab gives her tips for the wedding she would plan now.

If you were planning your own wedding again today, how would you change it?

If I were to plan my own wedding all over again, it would be an affair that is intimate and timeless. Not trendy, or showy, but with simple, natural and authentic beauty. My wedding, was a very elaborate affair with 500 guests, 2 bands, a belly dancer, and a DJ, it was a real party! Today I would opt for a very simple, yet elegant day. I envision a single long table, with only our families and our closest friends. It would be intimate and highly personal, where we would know everyone on a first name basis, I didn’t know half of the guests at my own wedding!

What colour scheme and style would you choose?

For colour, it would be all white, with simple accents of green, and maybe a bit of silver. I would have the freshest and most luscious flowers, tulips and hydrangeas come to mind, with single flower and single colour arrangements. I would surround myself and my guests with an abundance of beautiful flowers.

As a wedding planner, would you create a day like the elaborate events you plan?

It’s very interesting that when you ask accomplished chefs what they cook for themselves and their family and friends, it’s almost always the simplest of dishes, with basic and high quality ingredients, delicious but not pretentious. A meal meant to be enjoyed and deeply satisfying, and not made to impress others, meet any specific expectations, be judged by food critics, or follow any of the latest food trends and fads. I suppose in some ways the same applies to me as a wedding designer and planner. For the meal, it would be a seated dinner, and I would go to extreme lengths to make sure the food and the meal are as memorable as the day. I would select every single item on the menu, and would insist on the highest and most precious possible ingredients, truffles flown in from Italy comes to mind. Not a fussy meal, but simple, seasonal, real, and delicious. 

The ambiance, music and time of day tend to set the tone for an event. What would be your ideal combination?

I would choose a late afternoon outdoor wedding, where day melts into night, and where the setting and the mood get transformed as the light changes. For the day, I would have live music, something soothing and beautiful, classical or smooth jazz comes to mind, and for the night, I would switch over to a DJ and really get the party started, this is where we all let our hair down, and just have a great time! It would almost feel, and look, like two separate events. I would also make it a weekend-long affair, using the time to bond with family and friends who have travelled to be with us.

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What advice would you have liked to receive before you planned your own wedding?

That a wedding should always be a reflection of your personality and your lifestyle, whether you are a casual person a glamorous girl. Personalise your wedding by creating a theme that is a reflection of you, your culture, and your background.

Your top tip for future brides?

Focus on the things that really matter. The celebration of love, life, family and friends, making sure that you not only enjoy the day, but the entire process leading up to it. This is the most exciting time of your life, so enjoy every part of it.

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