Wedding bells are in the air across Dubai as couples adapt to the challenges of tying the knot during a pandemic.
Some churches have reported a surge in enquiries in recent weeks, with prospective brides and grooms eager to save the date even if their big day proves smaller than first anticipated.
Many couples are choosing to wed in more intimate settings as travel and safety restrictions prevent them from flying to their home countries to marry.
This month, Dubai's government declared wedding receptions of up to 200 people would be permitted, opening up the opportunity for newly-weds to celebrate with a larger party of friends and family.
Since then, several couples have come forward to St Thomas Orthodox Cathedral in Oud Metha to plan their wedding.
Those who would usually go home to get married are now coming to us an alternative
“While guest capacity limits have increased for wedding receptions, religious ceremonies are still limited to 25 people at our church,” said Father Ninan Panackamattam.
“We have two last minute weddings booked in this week, on Sunday and Monday.
"We can only hold two weddings a week as per the current Covid-19 rules.
“Since the announcement was made last week about wedding receptions, we have had about seven couples come forward to book a religious service with us."
Wedding ceremonies at the church are limited to 30 minutes and have a maximum capacity of 25 guests, all of which have to be blood relatives.
Toilet facilities on site will be closed off to visitors and refreshments are not allowed to be handed out to visitors.
“We have seen a surge in enquiries since the easing of restrictions for wedding receptions, but many of the couples are choosing to marry during a pandemic out of necessity,” said Father Panackamattam.
“For the most part, the marriages we are conducting were supposed to take place in Kerala, India.
"They would be much larger gatherings but because of the various Covid-19 restrictions, they are now taking place in Dubai in much smaller numbers.”
At St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Jebel Ali, Father Reinhold Sahner, parish priest, said he had seen an increase in the number of couples marrying in the past few months.
“The Community Development Authority in Dubai has permitted our church to conduct weddings during the pandemic,” he said.
"We have of course seen a slight increase in bookings as those who would usually go home to get married are now coming to us an alternative.
“There is a maximum of five people in the church at any one time, including the bride, groom and priest.
"The ceremony lasts just 20 minutes."
This year, Father Sahner said it had mainly conducted weddings for couples from the Philippines and India.
Traditionally, such wedding parties would usually cater to a large numbers of guests but he said many brides and grooms have chosen to forgo big celebrations for the sake of becoming an official partnership.
“Many of those who planned their weddings before the pandemic have still chosen to go ahead, just on a smaller scale,” he said.
“In general, though very different to what they had planned, most have enjoyed the more intimate affairs.”
A parish official at St Mary’s Catholic Church in Oud Metha, the largest Catholic church in the Middle East, said it was still not conducting weddings on site.
As churches have noted more couples coming forward to fast track their wedding ceremonies, wedding planners in the city hoped business would start to pick up as a result.
Sajna Riyas, chief executive of Jovial Events, said October to March was typically a very busy wedding season.
“Because of Covid-19, we had about 10 weddings cancelled this year and many more postponed,” she said.
“We typically cater to large Indian weddings that start from about Dh200,000 for 150 to 200 guests.”
With the Dubai government giving the go ahead for larger wedding parties, she said some clients would have to increase their budget or reduce their guest list to make sure social distancing rules were met.
But on the whole, more people were showing an interest in rescheduling previously postponed events.
“Because of travel restrictions more couples are choosing to stay in Dubai to wed,” she said.
“Our event sizes may be smaller than normal but to counteract that we can expect to see more families booking event planners to ensure strict safety measures are adhered too.”
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Total funding: Self funded
Timeline
2012-2015
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May 2017
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September 2021
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October 2021
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December 2024
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May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
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Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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The utilitarian robe held dear by Arab women is undergoing a change that reveals it as an elegant and graceful garment available in a range of colours and fabrics, while retaining its traditional appeal.
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