If you want your wedding to be truly memorable, start as you mean to go on – with a wedding invite to be treasured forever. The Card Co provides more than just a card. For a recent Hindu wedding, five-gram Dh1,000 24-carat gold nuggets were encased in each gold-foiled card.
For tech-savvy couples, video cards can display memories or messages on a high-definition screen. The card’s lithium-ion battery can be recharged, and the sound controlled on twin stereo speakers.
The company also offers invitations from Vera Wang and Crane & Co at their store in DIFC.
The Card Co’s own custom-made cards are printed by their sister company, Spectrum.
“A client will make an appointment, sit down with us and describe their theme, favourite colours, and what they do and don’t like”, explains the company’s manager and partner Daniel Rodgers. “Three members of our creative team work with the clients to come up with a concept. If it’s a husband and wife, there are disagreements but then the bride usually wins. We’ll then send the couple about five samples of the finished product.
“Gift boxes are very popular. People love that you’re actually presenting something, rather than just handing a card in an envelope. But the crazy thing here is people want everything done within a week. We work to very tight deadlines.”
The company also offers personalised stationery that can include a wax seal, calligraphy, letterheads, envelopes, business cards, comment cards and even luggage tags. Dh10,000 gets you 100 sets of gold-foiled, embossed paper and envelope sets.
“Many of our clients are CEOs who want their own individual, rather than company, stationery”, says Mr Rodgers.
When it comes to special occasions, it’s not just the invites that are custom-made. Personalised hangers have been designed for hotel room doors, and invitations have come with room keys.
A lawyer in Ghana recently asked the Card Co to provide 400 sets of video cards, boxes, menus, guest books, invitations, bags and chocolate boxes for her 40th birthday party.
“It kept getting more and more elaborate, and everything had to be shipped to Ghana,” says Mr Rogers.
“We do have a lot of international clients, particularly from Africa. They come across us when they’re here on business, and say they can’t find the same services locally.”
business@thenational.ae
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
