The First Mega Wedding of 2023
Almost 12 months in the making, over a 1000 guests, 6 days of celebrations at 6 unique venues, more than 100 international artists and a VIP guest list – Sania and Bilal’s wedding celebrations re-define the Big Fat Indian Wedding.
Touted as ‘The First Mega Wedding of 2023’, the wedding was planned and managed by the team at Vivaah Celebrations, led by Rahul Kumar – a seasoned professional with over 10 years of experience conceptualising and creating unparalleled wedding experiences around the world.
The Fairytale wedding celebrations for Sania Mulk, daughter of Nawab Shaji Ul Mulk (Bride) with Bilal Khalid Ahmed (Groom), took shape over a 12-month detailed planning and conceptualizing. Shehzaadi Sania Mulk had a vision and a dream that Vivaah Celebrations helped her achieve and bring to life.
The destination wedding saw guests fly in from all parts of the world; businessmen, celebrities, VIPs, Ministers, The Royal family, His Highness, and many more took part in the grand celebrations for Sania and Bilal.
With over 40 operations executives, 50 fabricators, 12 florists, 30 chefs, 20 different menus, and many spectacular performing artists, this 6-day wedding celebration was indeed an extravaganza witnessed by over 1,000 guests attending from various parts of the world.
To start with, the guests already fell in love with the Royal Invitation box sent to them. A turquoise box with an intricate gold design and an actual fairy tale book alongside local royal delicacies touched everyone’s hearts.
It all began with the exquisite Chandni Raat-themed welcome dinner at their opulent residence. Guests were beautifully dressed in whites and silver to complement this bright evening. The Chandni Raat Dinner was held at The Mulk Residence in Al Barari, Dubai. A beautiful rose petal shower by our hostesses welcomed our Groom, Bilal Ahmed, and his family to commence the union of the two families.
Our beautiful Bride, Sania, had a stunning entry with her loved ones, and bridesmaids walked in with countless gorgeous glimmering LED balloons representing the Chandni Raat theme. Our Bride made her way toward her Prince charming as the guests witnessed the spectacular dancing fountain show at their residence, which elevated the evening to the next level. MC Shobhna then continued the evening with interactive games and activities for the guests, followed by a renowned duo who sang the night away.
The next morning, the Manjay Ceremony kickstarted the celebrations for the Bide’s side of the family. Hosted at The Mulk Residence at Al Barari, Dubai. This ‘Sheesh Mahal’ morning began as our astonishing Bride walked toward the lavish garden under her beautifully adorned flower chaadar in shades of oranges, yellows, and golds. Sania then proceeded with the Manjay rituals with her close family, where they adorned her with jewelry and showered her with tons of fresh flower petals.
The guests enjoyed using the rickshaw photo booth this morning to capture their memories. They interacted with the live clay bangle maker curating beautiful bangles by checking their wrist size and colors. The morning event ended with a Royal breakfast feast served to the guests.
For their Sangeet evening, the venue at Madinat Jumeirah was transformed into a setting never seen before. The ‘Welcome to Agrabah’, Aladdin-themed event was one of the most exquisite events at this wedding. The Mehendi-Sangeet Bash at the gorgeous Fort Island at Madinat Jumeirah was inspired by the 1001 Arabian Nights and was converted into an astonishing Ottoman Night.
The guests were welcomed through a beautifully decorated walkway with Moroccan lamps and other local accessories. This path led them straight into the Souk Area, which was converted to Sania and Bilal’s Bazaar. Our hostesses, dressed in lavish white Moroccan gowns, greeted the guests and handed over a royal blue pouch filled with gold coins they could redeem at the Souk carts. There were several souk carts with beautiful handmade accessories, diaries, pens, pearl crafted jewellery boxes, and much more. To elevate the experience, we also had a gorgeous violinist at a height playing her beautiful tunes. On the other side, our famous Turkish Ice Cream cart had kids giggling to his tricks and parents enjoying this picture-perfect sight while having their ice cream. It definitely looked like the Agrabah Bazaar straight out of Aladdin.
After such a rich experience, the hostesses guided all the guests towards Fort Island, which was embellished with royal furniture with vibrant colors. The evening continued with DJ Gautam playing tunes to set the guests’ mood for the exciting evening ahead. Once all the guests settled in this beautiful venue with lanterns and Moroccan-themed centerpieces, their sight went straight to the stunning Menus and Agenda of the evening crafted by VC Creatives with intricate gold designs on a rich velvet print. We kickstarted the evening by introducing the star celebrity MCs of the Night.
Celebrity Gauhar Khan, an Actress also known for her win in Big Boss, and Yasir Hussain, a star from Pakistan, got introduced to the crowd and made their Filmfare entry as they walked up the beautiful bridge of Fort Island.
The Sangeet evening then officially began; after entertaining the audience, the lovely MCs welcomed the sisters from the Groom’s side to bring in the Mehendi Trays like pure Royalty. The women walked in and got introduced to the guests as they placed these rich gold thalis on the stage. Soon after this, our Prince Aladdin made his entry which was one of the numerous highlights of the evening. Our Prince walked in like Royalty with his LED Drum Band, SFX, and Parade of Groomsmen; no Prince walks in alone, right?
As our Groom, Bilal Ahmed, was interacting with our Celebrity MCs, a special announcement was made. Our Princess Sania was about to join us.
As all guests were asked to make their way to all corners of Fort Island, surrounded by a beautiful water body, they witnessed a spectacular show. Our Princess Sania was arriving on an Abra (A Royal Boat) with a parade of 12 boats behind her with dancers in beautiful costumes, such a magical sight to see!
Our Shehzaadi Sania Mulk looked stunning in her attire; she looked straight out of the movie. As she waved the guests a hello and got off the boat, we again witnessed another beautiful show by the DANS team choreographed by Satyen Babla. Sania then slowly made her way up the bridge as the sparklers rose and guests applauded and welcomed her.
Our MCs then interacted with our beautiful couple and welcomed the entry of a famous Pakistani power couple who flew in to greet the couple and this magical evening. This glorious couple was none other than AYEZA KHAN and DANISH TAIMOORI, celebrities from Pakistan.
This incredible evening did not stop surprising us; the upcoming act blew severyone’s mind away. Most talented Indian dancer Parvati opened the Royal Kishti performance, a Royal gift exchange between the two families. She was definitely one of the bright stars of the evening!
The much-awaited Sangeet performances began with all the friends and family performing for the couple on various tracks, leaving everyone in a fun-filled mood as the guests picked up their Mocktails from the Royal Abrahbah Mocktail Bar decked in golds with the local tastes.
The evening continued as guests relished some Royal Arabic culinary experiences put together by the talented food and beverage team at Madinat Jumeirah. The evening ended with the famous Laduree Cart alongside a range of vast desserts.
Finally, the much-awaited Night arrived, The Royal Mughal Baraat Raat. Drawing inspiration from the Mughal times, the guests were welcomed by over 50 soldiers lined up on both sides of the driveway. They saluted the guests through the driveway as their car pulled up to the beautiful Asateer tent of Atlantis on the Palm where they were further greeted by native soldiers from Africa. As the guests walked in, beautiful hostesses adorned in ethnic outfits greeted them with a Salaam – a traditional gesture of respect and welcome to the guests.
The venue was decked up like none other; one could smell hundreds of fresh roses all around the beautiful arena giving a rich royal feel to the evening. The Decor was inspired by Royal Mughal Palaces with Golds and Reds and a grand stage with handcrafted beautiful water fountains on each side. This event also featured custom-made plush furniture and designer tableware representing the richness of the evening, with some of the finest culinary experiences brought straight to the table like Royalty.
This evening saw more VIPs, as team Vivaah ensured that all protocols were implemented. Celebrities, VIP families, The Royal family, and High Highness Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan attended this spectacular evening to congratulate Mr. Shahji Nawab Ul Mulk and the newly wedded beautiful couple Sania Mulk and Bilal Ahmed.
Once all the guests settled in, our Celebrity MCs, Gauhar Khan, and Yasir Hussain announced the commencement of the Royal Baraat procession. Our Groom’s Baraat procession was power-packed, with his entourage dancing their way through a 120-meter-long stretch pathway along the entrance of Asateer. The one-hour-long Baraat saw talent from over the globe with shows, stunts, and different experiences for the guests to enjoy. These dancers led the Baraat as the procession followed. Finally, we could see our Shahenshah enter on his Royal Horse, along with his Kingsmen. Over a 100 performers mesmerised the crowd, and it was definitely a Baraat you wouldn’t want to miss!
Once the groom was welcomed in, he waited eagerly for his princess to arrive. Our Shehzaadi Sania’s entrance was nothing less than a grand spectacle. Suddenly, the lights of this gorgeous venue slightly dimmed, and a soldier came running in to hand over a scroll to the MCs to announce the Royal Entrance of our Padmavat inspired Bride. Dancers entered, dancing their way in, and performed a lovely act before our Shehzaadi walked in with her Shamadaan Dancers with her 5-meter veil behind her. She looked absolutely stunning in her Mughal Wedding Dress. Her Shahenshah walked over to the centre of the floor, and they met in the middle, surrounded by alluring flowers which reflected their love for each other. He lifted her veil, and they said their vows. Bilal then took Sania up on stage to continue the evening. The sight was surreal.
The Night had just begun, and we had breathtaking performances lined up to make this evening unforgettable. One of the most talented dancer from Pakistan, Sara Loren, gracefully performed while she took the stage and left everyone speechless which her elegance. Surrounded by background dancers complimenting her moves on Dewaani Mastani from Bajirao Mastani, it looked like a sight straight out of a movie.
The evening continued with a beautiful ring ceremony as beautiful roses were showered on the couple as they exchanged their wedding rings.
The Night’s finale star performer had finally arrived. A performance that everyone was eagerly waiting for. This renowned actor and singer, who is recognised not only in Pakistan but also in India, flew to Dubai to make this evening special. It was none other than the sensational singer Ali Zafar! Guests got goosebumps as he mesmerised everyone with his soulful voice. This magical night ended with the emotional Bidai ceremony of Sania.
The next day guests gathered to Celebrate Sania and Bilal’s love at their Walima evening. Amidst detailed centerpieces, plush floral installations, and a blanket of fairy lights, the ‘Night under the Stars’ Walima Evening had the guests in awe of the surreal settings on a chilly evening at the Ritz Carlton Dubai.
With the views to the Ain Dubai, the couple entered as the night sky shined bright and was filled with a show-stopping fireworks display as the celebrations came to an end.
The couple had their first dance, cut their gorgeous wedding cake, and danced the Night away with friends and family as DJ Sash spun behind the decks.
All the themes, concepts, show flows, and artists were planned, conceptualized, and managed by Vivaah Celebrations.
Vivaah Celebrations is a premier Wedding Planning & Management company operating locally and globally for Destination Weddings under the leadership of Rahul Kumar, who has over a decade of experience planning and managing weddings globally. To plan your next event, connect with us at info@vivaahcelebrations.com
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Photo Credits: Micheal J. Scott, Delhi Velvet & Linda K.
Setup By: Stefanie Heller – JAM Events
