Over 500 destination wedding connoisseurs from more than 60 countries will attend the Destination Wedding Planners (DWP) Congress, hosted by QnA International.

Recognised as the world’s biggest B2B platform for the destination wedding industry, the sixth Annual DWP Congress will be held in Dubai along with Destination Partner Dubai Tourism and Hotel Partner Atlantis, The Palm, from March 27-29. As the countdown begins with less than two weeks, global destination wedding planners share their views on the UAE, especially Dubai being the hotspot for destination weddings globally.

The UAE is synonymous to a dream haven for destination weddings amongst foreigners, as it offers opulent surroundings and setting options. Be it a serene beachside wedding or an elegant ballroom wedding, the country offers venues that offer luxury and excellence. Ali Bakhtiar, founder, Ali Bakhtiar Designs, UAE, a renowned wedding planner to the Royalty in the Middle East and around the world and the Gala Dinner Partner for the sixth Annual DWP Congress said, “We envision a surge in destination weddings in the country, as the country offers the finest views and venues, accompanied by world-class entertainment options, which is a huge part of destination weddings. We can decipher that the Arabian wedding industry is surely one of high-standard.”

“Dubai is such an undiscovered gem in the realm of destination weddings. From natural vast deserts to spectacular man-made wonders, all basked in rich culture, there is so much to discover for both the wedding couple and their accompanying guests,” added Lelian Chew, founder, The Wedding Atelier, Singapore & Hong Kong.

The UAE ranks among the top five destinations for couples in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The region also boasts of talented and extravagant destination wedding planners who have curated the most luxurious, extravagant weddings and events on a global level. 

Jardel Silva, CEO, Eventchic Designs, UAE, one of Dubai’s celebrated wedding designers who is known for his modern, chic and luxurious styling, and is the welcome reception partner for the sixth Annual DWP Congress said: “Weddings in the Middle East are already massive, people look forward to extravagance that these exclusive weddings portray. As a wedding planning company based in Dubai, working globally, this is a huge opportunity for us to meet with industry players and exchange ideas on traditions and trend globally.”

Mahesh Shirodkar, managing director of Tamarind Global that organises spectacular destination weddings, said: “As a wedding planner based in India, we have organised numerous weddings in Dubai and the other emirates. The ease of doing business in Dubai always amazes us, making it the top-most choice for all destination weddings. As we all know, Indian weddings are rich with traditions and there are week-long celebrations, where the wedding planner needs to bear in mind the occasion, attire, décor food, themes etc, as the same audiences attend on different days, it comes down to the creativity of the wedding planner to dress the venues and synchronise the settings etc.”

This stands true not only for Indian clients but for a majority of Asian clients as well who hail UAE and Dubai as a wedding destination. Sharing similar sentiments is Innayat Khubchandani, founder, Innaz Communique, Indonesia, who said: “The Middle East and Dubai has so much to offer and it is such a great destination, where you can play around with an intimate beach ceremony or a city wedding against the glittering skyline, amongst several other luxurious, high budget possibilities.”

Along with a stellar speaker line-up with names such as Preston Bailey (US), Vandana Mohan (India), Evgeniya Besplaya (Russia) and Fanny Ng (China) among many others, the upcoming edition of the DWP Congress is an exclusive, ‘by invitation only’ conference that is focused on luxury destination wedding professionals who are looking to collaborate with like-minded mavens in the wedding business to glean fresh perspectives, do business and network with some of the top creative partners and suppliers from all over the world. - TradeArabia News Service