Dubai residents join British royal wedding revelry

British expats watch watch the royal wedding live in Dubai.

Residents of UAE on Saturday came together to celebrate the Britain's royal wedding of Prince Harry and American actor Meghan Markle.
There were several 'regal' celebration events that were held across Dubai, including at the Ritz-Carlton in JBR where more than 100 British expats gathered at the hotel's 'Royal Afternoon Tea' event to watch the ceremony live. There were also celebrations held on the QE2, Al Fayrooz lounge at Jumeirah Al Qasr, Barasti and Rhodes WI, and in many others venues.
Several of these venues held quintessential afternoon tea experience to give the royal wedding fans a feel of the British tradition.
As it happened: Harry and Meghan proclaimed husband and wife
British expats Laura Voyatzis was at the Ritz-Carlton and got a special look in honour of the wedding celebration.
"I got my hair blow-dried in the style of Kate Middleton. I think the ceremony was amazing. I loved Meghan's dress, she looked very elegant and classy and not over the top. But I have to say that I didn't like one of the speakers who was speaking about the Stone Age," she said.
Another attendee, Sarah Arfaoui, who is half Arab and half English wore an Arab dress with an English-style hat to celebrate the royal wedding.
"I wanted to bring the two together, since I'm both parts of the world. And it it's a nice fit since we are here in the UAE, celebrating the royal wedding," she said.
Arfaoui said it was also nice seeing British expats gathering for an event as such even though they are far away from home.
"I think it's great. I've heard that a number of celebrations are going on in Dubai. People are wearing the colours of the UK flag on their face. People are really celebrating in full force," she said.
Tania Kreindler, another attendee, said the royal wedding was a "beautiful moment" in British history.
"Whether you are supportive of Harry's choices or not, it's a beautiful moment in our history. So many people came together to see the ceremony here. Meghan looks absolutely stunning and she looks very elegant," she said.
Jameel Hussain, a British expat with Indian origin in Dubai, watched the ceremony from home with his family.
"The ceremony was beautiful. When Prince Charles walked her down the aisle, it was really heartwarming. It was sad, though, that her own father couldn't walk her down the aisle. But at the end of the day, it all seemed to have worked out very well. The vows were beautiful too," Hussain said.
sarwat@khaleejtimes.com