Sorry!!!

Hi everyone,

Anyone who has planned a wedding while juggling life, can understand how time is NOT your friend during this time period! We don't know where the day goes between meetings, house viewing, suppliers making mistakes and more!

We are still thinking of you!!!

HOTEL

Everyone who needs a hotel has spoken to me and I have arranged a group rate at the Sofitel Jumeirah Beach. This location is great because you can step outside and shop, eat, watch people, hit the beach and anything else you would like to do!

WEATHER

Sunny!:-) hehe...of course it will be...we pray for rain here (although not on that weekend!). Be prepared with some very light sweaters or shawls for the evenings but most probably it will be SUMMER weather. Which means 80-90degrees and sunny! Bikinis, sandals, shorts, dresses, etc. (It isn't conservative here and I don't think I need to tell you that booty shorts aren't really popular anywhere).

TOP 10 ACTIVITIES

1 - Desert Safaris (Morning or Evening)

These include Dune Bashing (see video) Camel Riding, Sand Boarding. Evening Safaris include those 3 plus a bbq, belly dancer! A desert safari is a must do when visiting our part of the world. Please note that Dune Bashing is not for the faint of heart or children as one minute you are facing the horizon and the next you are facing the sand at a 90degree angle!Its well worth it!!!

2 - Burj Khalifa 

If you don't know by now, it is the tallest building in the world and in less than 1 minute you will reach the observation deck located on the 125floor! The tour departs from Dubai Mall and will take you through the development of this architectural masterpiece. From the deck you will be able to see across miles and miles of what has become Dubai and beyond. On a clear day you can see the famous World Islands and more :-) 

 PS. If you watched the latest Mission Impossible you would have seen Tom Cruise hopping about on a floor even higher than the deck! He's beyond a crazy person!!!

3- Mall of The Emirates: Ski Dubai

Enough said....

4- Old Souq (Market)

This area, known as Bastaqiya, gives you some sights, smells and flavours of the first area in Dubai with a real market place. Spices, gold, Fabrics and more! As well as glimpses of adorable grandfathers still selling their merchandise! If you are interested in experiencing this, wear comfortable and conservative clothes and prepare for a longer journey as traffic getting in and out can be quite busy! By the way, its the only area you really need to consider being relatively conservative in! :-)

5- Dubai Heritage Village

An old district dedicated to experiencing the traditions of the area. Its beautiful to see and then leave and experience what Dubai has developed into. Considering that 40years ago there was 1 main road and a handful of buildings and a few houses which could only be reached by driving a 4x4, its quite impressive. Eat, Shop, Photograph and enjoy! 

Here are a few pics to tease you into making the decision to visit :-)

Coffee made the old fashioned way in a sand pit and hot coals

Watch how they build the local fishing boats called Dhows. (many are still used today)

taste traditional food from someone's grandmother! :-) 

Heritage Village and Diving Center from the Creek

Get up close and personal with a falcon. Falconry is a major part of the heritage of the Area. Falcons were used to send messages during caravan trips, wars and love (maybe...just thought I would add that coz well...it makes sense and its cute!)

6 - S. H.O.P!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dubai Mall is currently the largest in the world! With shops ranging from budget conscious to break the bank for a belt, you can get anything your heart desires tax free!! Within Dubai Mall (I think they were placed there to entertain the men while the women shop), you will fine an Aquarium housing many species of fish, sharks, the occasional diver and Nemo. You can walk through the tunnel and then go upstairs to see penguins, crabs, lion fish and a number of very odd looking deadly fish. Great for adults and kids alike!LOVE IT.... and there is the world's largest fountain (are you picking up on the theme that Dubai like to do everything BIG?!?!), Sega Republic (game zone for all ages), a massive Cinema with the best VIP theatre I have ever been to, Ice skating rink, and more! Ooooops.... I digressed.....SHOPPING! Yes...many shops, make levels and maky little treats to keep your energy levels up! 

7- WATER!!!

If you want to slip and slide and dive off of some impressive ledges, we have Wild Wadi and the Atlantis Aquaventure. Why not cool off and be a kid again! Wild Wadi is next to Burj Al Arab (the Sail looking hotel which is not worth visiting...trust me). 

Wild Wadi

Atlantis Aquaventure (Lazy River detour)....if you are going to do a waterpark, I would DEFINITELY do the Atlantis. It has death defying slides, chilled out stuff, a little upside down stuff and if you want to relax, you can get a Dolphin to kiss you :-)

8- Spa!Spa!Spa!

With the multitude of 5,6,7 star hotels in Dubai, you better believe that what comes with them are some of the best Spas! You name it, they can do it! No...not the happy ending stuff before you get any ideas.... But its a beautiful way to unwind and get pampered. If you have the time, then make the booking!I can suggest Talise Spa at Al Qasr Hotel and the Spa at the Royal Mirage. Both internationally rewarded and little Edens in the midst of high rises

9- Madinat Jumeirah

This is the new and improved take on Bastiqiya. It has top notch hotels, restaurants (right on the water), drinks, bars, clubs, water canals and shopping.not to be missed. Its beautiful day or night (but at night it is breathtaking!)

10. I feel like this one should be WOW! I am tempted to say THE WEDDING!hahahaha. but that's just not right.... So for #10 I am going to list a few things to consider. 1 being pretty extreme but out of this world! 

10a. SKYDIVE DUBAI!I did it, Nizam did it (It was the day I actually realized that I would love to spend my life with him because he wouldn't let me go alone in case something happened...Cute...Like if the parachute didnt open he would become Superman and fly through the sky to save me! love him!). So yes, it is extreme but according to the instructors who have jumped around the world, it is one of the most amazing places to jump!

Thats little me :-)

Nizam finding his happy place at 13000feet :-)

10b. Jebel Ali Shooting Club: Shoot Clay Pigeons with some rifles in an area designed like an old Arabic Fort and then grab a drink (alcoholic or non)

10c. EAT! at Nobu, Zuma, Okku, Khan Murjan (Fancy take on traditional Arabic food), Asha's (best Indian restaurant in Dubai), Shake Shack (if your missing New York City) and so much more!

10d. DRINK!We have some amazing bars and restaurants that offer things that go up in flames or just sit in a glass for you to sip on!

Soooooooooooooooooooooooo...that concludes the Top 10! There are other things to do, but I would say those are the BEST!

Can't wait to see you all here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11

Much love!

Nizam and Manar

Hotel status

Hi everyone,

This is a small note so we keep you in the loop.

We are having new found respect for group booking travel agents!! We have been calling and visiting many hotels in the last week and trying to find one that suits everyone and allows you to enjoy your stay without having to get into a taxi and move around a lot. :-) It is a vacation after all with a dress up party to kick it off!

Bear with us while we finalize the details and you will be notified as to what the necessary next steps will be. In the meantime, book your flights and share your dates with us so that we can book accordingly. :-)

See you soon!
N&M

Mark your calendars!!!!

So here you are :-) This is the official beginning of our wedding preparations. We know it took a while but things have been moving fast and we have been working on many things at the same time! We also wanted to start it off with something fun and this video was lots of fun to make :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5OtdGSQTgQ&feature=youtu.be
We hope you like it and we hope to see you in Dubai on April 13th! We will keep repeating the date over and over again so that you always think of it as you plan the next few months :-)

If you check on your calendar, you will notice that our wedding is on Friday the 13th :-D After much research  we have realized that this day really doesnt mean much. In fact in Spanish speaking countries it is actually Tuesday the 13th that is a little iffy (So for Nizam's Venezuelan family, there is no problem!) Also, in Christianity 13 is a lucky number (So, again, for Nizam's side of the family, we're still good!). Finally, the fear of Friday the 13th is actually called friggatriskaidekaphobia! Unless you can say the word (very very fast) then you shouldnt be all that concerned! By the end of the night on the day of the wedding, we will give out a surprise to anyone who can manage to say the word seriously :-) 

xoxoxoxo

N&M

April in Dubai :-)

The clock is ticking and the day's are rolling by!

We think our 2nd post should be more about what April is like...tickle your insides and tempt you to come to a place where the weather is PERFECT in the Spring!

- Rain?!!? Never! (Unless they decide to fly around in airplanes planting water in the clouds to make it rain...but Manar has written to the government agency and requested that they do not do this for the week of the wedding. Hopefully they will read it!)
- Cold??? We wish!!!! It's a perfect 27 degrees Celsius most of the time! A time for sun, beach, desert safaris and more! Skiing indoors if you really miss being cold. And if you want some water or rain, take a shower or go to one of the water parks we have :-) In general its perfect!
- Busy??? Nope! Not really at least!
** We are not responsible for global warming so if it is sticky and hot, blame someone else. Maybe yourself for not taking care of the environment.... :-)

The wedding has been set for April 13th, 2012. Not too far into the future but we wanted to do it outside while the weather was still nice and we didn't want to wait until November. November is a tough month anyway...too close to Christmas and we all know how busy and expensive that time of the year can be! So April it is!!

In the following posts we will list activities, hotels, country information and more so that you can plan your trip and join us on the first of many important days in our lives.

Much Love and desert dreams :-)
N+M