Journal
The thinking behind the celebration.
Field notes on design, production and planning in the UAE.
Field notes and practical guidance by Moad Alodeh, Founder & Creative Director of Golden Touch Events.
Approving your wedding design from abroad
A mood board establishes a direction; it does not specify every item that will be installed.
A destination wedding budget: separate the scopes
Write the working budget in a named currency and record when quotes were issued.
What to ask during a wedding venue video tour
Ask the host to start where guests will actually arrive, then walk to the reception, dining area and restrooms.
An outdoor wedding needs a workable backup plan
Agree an outdoor plan and a sheltered alternative with the venue before finalising the design.
Prepare one useful information sheet for travelling guests
Share the event date, exact venue address, programme and dress guidance in one place.
Compare wedding supplier quotes on the same scope
Send every supplier the same date, venue, guest estimate and design requirements.
Coordinate wedding lighting with the photography brief
Discuss how the room should feel and how faces, the stage and table details need to read on camera.
Keep family approvals clear when everyone lives abroad
Before reviewing designs, name the person who approves budget, visual direction and programme.
Make a short Dubai planning visit useful
Prepare a list of decisions that genuinely need an in-person visit: the venue shortlist, material samples or a layout review.
The final handover for a wedding planned from abroad
Prepare one final version of the seating plan, programme and supplier schedule.
Video guestbook in the UAE: what it is and how it works
How a wedding video guestbook works, what guests experience, and what couples should ask before booking one in the UAE.
Video guestbook vs photo booth: which one does what?
A photo booth captures a look. A video guestbook captures a voice. Here is how the two experiences differ.
Wedding guestbook ideas for Dubai and UAE weddings
From handwritten notes to audio and video messages, here are guestbook formats that can fit modern UAE weddings.
Wedding cost in Dubai: what actually changes your budget
Why two Dubai weddings with the same guest count can have very different budgets.
Dubai wedding ballroom layout: planning for 150, 250 and 500 guests
How guest count changes the room plan — and why ballroom capacity alone is not enough.
Outdoor wedding production in the UAE: what to plan before the design
The technical decisions that make an outdoor wedding buildable, comfortable and ready for the venue.
Wedding dance floor size: plan it around guests, programme and room layout
Why guest count alone cannot tell you the right dance floor size — and what to check before choosing one.
Box truss vs T-truss for weddings: choosing the right lighting structure
When a full box truss makes sense, when T-truss can be enough, and what should decide the choice.
Wedding lighting in the UAE: how 3200K stage light changes décor colours
Why the colour you approve in daylight may look different once the wedding lighting is switched on.
Arabic wedding flow in Dubai: planning zaffa, privacy and guest movement
Why the sequence of the night should shape the room plan before décor is finalised.
UAE wedding venue technical checklist: what to ask before you sign
The production questions that can change your wedding plan after the venue contract is signed.
Custom kosha design in the UAE: from measurements to fabrication and installation
What happens between the first venue measurement and the finished kosha on the wedding day.
Fresh vs artificial wedding flowers in the UAE: where each works best
When fresh flowers create the strongest impact, when high-quality artificial florals are more practical, and why many weddings use both.
Planning a wedding in Dubai: a working timeline
When to book the venue, when design must be settled, and what the last weeks really involve.
Designing a kosha that belongs to the room
Proportion, sightlines and light — why the best kosha is designed with the hall, not placed in it.
Seven production questions to ask your venue
Rigging, power, load-in and curfew — the questions that decide whether a design can be built.