Geometric Desert Dubai Wedding Ideas

We are welcoming in the weekend with this incredible Dubai photo shoot, which includes an unusual black wedding dress and fabulous bridal accessories. Love it!

Wedding planners, The Wedding Haven, and their very creative collaborators have come up with heaps of modern and unique ideas for your big day using different shapes, metallic elements and extraordinary blooms. Speaking of blooms, how amazing are those white anemones with black centres? They give such a fantastic edge to both the bouquet and centrepiece florals. I must also mention how much I’m lusting over the hair and make up look – so ideal for summer brides.

Thanks so much for these inspirational photos, Bernie and Bindi Photography.

“When I first moved to Dubai, one of the first things that captured my attention was the captivating colour of the desert – it was unlike anything I had ever seen before. The reddish orange colour of the sand creates spectacular views that are breathtaking. So during one of my conversations with the talented Bernie and Bindi from Bernie and Bindi Photography, we decided to put together a shoot that reflected the beauty that Dubai had to offer.

I wanted a bridal photo shoot that was non-traditional yet elegant. So I came up with the idea of “breaking the rules” with a black wedding dress. Yes, yes, the idea came as a shock to many people who couldn’t wrap their heads around the fact that a black wedding dress could be as breathtaking as a traditional white and/or ivory dress if and when accessorised properly – and we did just that with the help of a super-talented team of suppliers!”

“Our photographers for this shoot were Bernie and Bindi: a husband and wife duo, wedding photographers, and best friends. Their intimate and romantic photography style made them the perfect choice for a photo shoot that essentially required a lot of creativity, patience, and love of adventure. They worked calmly to capture all the small details of the photo shoot despite the wind, blowing sand, and allergies!”

“I opted to use two dresses by Sara Mansour – a Jordanian fashion designer and illustrator. For the first look, the bride wore a long embroidered black tulle dress, with laser cut embroidered lace. For the second look, the bride wore an embroidered off-the-shoulder white dress, complemented with flower appliqués.

We topped off both looks with jewelry provided to us by Dalia Hamdallah – the owner and founder of D Jewellery. All of Dalia’s pieces are hand-made and inspired by ethnic and African jewellery, as well as semi-precious stones.”

“To soften the feel of the black dress, I decided to incorporate some geometric elements in the shoot; including geometric menus and place card holders designed by The Wedding Haven, to a geometric cake designed by the amazing Ana from Nice Ribbon Atelier.

Keeping in line with the theme of the photo shoot, I wanted a cake that moved beyond the classic confections that feature flowers or pretty piping. And Ana was able to bring my vision to life. She created a 3-tiered square cake that complemented the clean, minimalist, and non-traditional setting of the shoot — from the color scheme (all greys, pinks, gold, with pops of black) to the minimalist reception décor (black centrepieces in triangle vessels). The graphic detail of the cake was a fun and unexpected way to incorporate a modern touch into the photo shoot décor.”

“The flowers for the shoot were provided by Irina from Blossom Tree Dubai, who used hues of blush, white, and greens to create a playful feel. We also added a matching floral ankle cuff, which added a touch of femininity to the couture gowns – a trend that would be especially lovely for a beach bride or perhaps the more adventurous desert bride?

The tableware, Moroccan lanterns, chairs, and the gold sequin table runner that were loaned to us by the ladies at Party Social brought it all together.”

“The make up offered understated glamour. As a wedding planner, I do tend to avoid making over bold statements in styling for shoots, preferring to keep the style beautiful rather than overpowering, and our lovely make-up artist, Melissa from Makeup by Base Studio, delivered just that. Melissa used a brown pencil to create a smoky effect. She also opted for a deep pink lip colour with a soft coral blush on the cheeks, and finished the look off with PhotoFinish powder.

With the help of our hair stylist, Steve Wahab, we decided to go with a soft romantic high ponytail with a side braid. A braided ‘do’ is ideal for outdoor, warm-weather weddings since these looks keep some or all of your hair up. Plus, braids are a fun way to refresh a classic up-do, while soft, side-swept braids transform half-up looks into something unexpected.

We topped off the second look with a fingertip length veil, with lace embroidery provided by The Bridal Showroom Dubai.”

“The model was recruited from Muse Dubai – a talent management and PR agency aimed at representing fresh local and international talent – and they didn’t disappoint. Maria, our model, was simply gorgeous and a pleasure to work with. She handled the heat, sand, and an over-excited puppy with grace.”

CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE |

Photographer | Bernie and Bindi Photography

Planner | The Wedding Haven

Wedding Dresses | Sara Mansour

Jewellery | D Jewellery

Model | Muse Dubai

Makeup Artist | Makeup by Base Studio

Hair Stylist | Steve Wahab

Veil | The Bridal Showroom Dubai

Cake | Nice Ribbon Atelier

Flowers | Blossom Tree Dubai

Party Rentals | Party Social

Thank you for sharing these images with us and for the glimpse into Dubai’s distinctive landscape. I thoroughly enjoy ‘out of the box’ ideas for weddings and these are totally fab. Abby xx