A snowfall wedding in Dubai

Jennifer McGarrigle and Noora Al Suwaidi. — Supplied photo

Dubai is renowned for making the impossible possible. It is the desert city where you can ski on real snow and now Antarctic penguins are calling it home. Nothing is off limits here and true to its nature, Dubai recently hosted the Middle East’s first ‘white wedding’, bringing a whole new meaning to the term.

The business of being a woman With women empowerment gaining huge momentum in the Mena region, businesswomen in Arab countries are at the forefront of an economic shift. The percentage of Arab women in leadership positions has increased in the past decade and Al Suwaidi says this is thanks to a forward-thinking generation. “Through the decades, mentalities change. Every decade has different families that encourage their sisters and daughters to discover and celebrate their true potential. I suppose we were blessed that time has been kind in the progress of women by being fast rather than dragging on.” However, despite this increase, women in the region still face gender apathy but Al Suwaidi says the changes being witnessed today are encouraging for women. “It’s not as rigid as it used to be. A great majority of families encourage women to develop themselves and work. The region is changing the mindset assertively because they find great potential in the women to be able to be a sister, a wife, a mother and to be able to work and develop herself.” kelly@khaleejtimes.com

Say the word Dubai and most think of the soaring heat and beige backdrop. The winters are warm and the summers warmer. All it takes is one glance at the barometer, thermometer and anemometer to prove that Dubai boasts your typical Middle Eastern climate, but not if Jennifer McGarrigle and Noora Al Suwaidi have anything to do with it.

The city’s latest powerful business duo quite literally opened up the sky last month and brought the region’s first snow blizzard to Dubai, and it was all in the name of love.

Pulling the strings behind a show-stopping wedding here, event organisers McGarrigle and Al Suwaidi say they have to impress at every corner to stay ahead in the game. And their latest delivery is no exception.

Working together with the bride of a large Emirati family, wedding guests on the day bore witness to the region’s first indoor snowfall. As life-like snow trickled down from the ceiling showering awe-struck family and friends in crisp, white flakes, all were transported to a winter wonderland.

“This is the first time it has ever been done in the Middle East. We laid down cold, life-like snow on the floor and when the guests walked into the venue, the ceiling opened up and snow fell down like a real blizzard,” McGarrigle tells Khaleej Times.

Working together for only 18 months, McGarrigle and Al Suwaidi have a client list many would be envious of.

Regularly hand-picked to host events for some of Dubai’s most high-powered families and individuals — including the royal family — the Exquisite Events duo constantly strives to stand out.

“We have been really lucky with our clientele but it’s about reputation here so you have to bring the best to everything you do,” McGarrigle says.

Now laying claim to a never-before-seen regional first, Al Suwaidi says this is just the start on their path towards innovative event-organising, and if someone wants the impossible, “we’re there to make it happen”.

“We have had some interesting requests, such as fireworks, an opera singer dressed as a chef to surprise the guests, and snow. The list goes on. But it’s Dubai so we amusingly accept the unusual requests with excitement.”

Birthplace of it all

Living in the UAE for 11 years, Ireland-born McGarrigle calls Dubai her second home. Previously working as a flight attendant for Emirates, the strong-willed businesswoman stepped into the events industry after realising there was a huge appetite for luxury here. “I did a course in wedding and events planning and met Noora while I was helping plan her sister’s wedding.”

The two jokingly talked about collaborating together in the future, but it soon turned to reality.

“A few months after the wedding I was inspired to open a flower boutique and decided to contact Jennifer because I loved her organised management skills.

Then that was it, we collaborated and became partners in the wedding and events industry,” Al Suwaidi says.

With McGarrigle acting as the minute by minute person and Al Suwaidi focusing on the design elements for each event, the duo have struck up a great balance for a successful business, despite coming from different backgrounds.

“I think the European/Emirati partnership works brilliantly. (At) ... the end of the day it’s not two ladies of different nationalities working together, it’s about sincerely hardworking ladies with a strong friendship working together to bring joyful memories to people,” Al Suwaidi says. -kelly@khaleejtimes.com