This one goes out to all couples who are engaged and planning a wedding with zero event-planning experience.
Somehow you’re expected to craft a day that’s traditional, yet modern. Well-attended, yet intimate. It’s about you as a couple, but also shouldn’t be offensive to any of your guests. And most crucially, don’t overspend, but make sure it looks expensive.
Sure, weddings are fun, but the most important part of any wedding is everything that happens after – your real life, together. Don’t start that life with credit card debt that lasts until your fifth anniversary.
If you focus your spending on what you and your guests will actually notice, and skip expensive things no one really cares about, you’ll have a beautiful wedding without the debt.
Establish your budget
Before you plan anything, set a budget based on what you (and your families, if they’re contributing) can afford. Make every decision with that number in mind, whether it’s $250, $5,000 or $50,000.
At its core, a wedding is simply “a celebration of love”, says Jen Glantz, founder of the company Bridesmaid for Hire. “In that celebration, there are no rules. Look at your wedding as a blank slate, an empty room. What do you want to fill it with? What can you afford to fill it with?”
Re-evaluate traditional must-haves
“This is the biggest thing I have to tell everybody when they plan a wedding: You don’t need anything at your wedding to get married,” Ms Glantz says. “If you don’t want a cake, don’t have a cake. If you don’t want to wear a dress or a tuxedo, don’t.”
Here are some other ways to save.
This is the biggest thing I have to tell everybody when they plan a wedding: You don’t need anything at your wedding to get married
Jen Glantz,
founder, Bridesmaid for Hire
Decor: Guests remember the overall vibe, not the tiny details. “People at weddings are busy,” Ms Glantz says. “And when you’re busy, you don’t see things.”
Save on decor by renting it or scouring groups on social media. Already-married friends may have leftover items they’d be happy to lend or pass along. There are even services where you can share flowers with another couple getting married the same week.
Transportation: “We’re locked into this idea that the big stretch limo will get you to the church or get you to the venue,” says Sheavonne Harris, owner and lead coordinator at Events by Sheavonne in New York City.
But your guests will be seated inside when you arrive, so that car won’t be a part of your grand entrance.
Car services also require you to book for a minimum number of hours, said Ms Harris, so you’ll end up paying for time you don’t use. She recommends booking a ride-hailing service – yes, just like when you need a ride to the airport.
Invitations, programmes and menus: All those paper items you painstakingly select are going to be thrown away. Programmes get left on chairs after the ceremony and menus get tucked under plates after a quick scan. Even your invitations will get only a few months on guests’ refrigerators before they head to the landfill.
“They just tossed a $10 bill into the garbage,” Ms Harris says.
If you want the tradition of paper for a lower cost, skip the menus and programmes. You can also find gorgeous paper invitations at certain online retailers for a fraction of the price. Many printing companies offer seasonal sales, too.
Party favours: Please, let 2022 be the year we cancel party favours. Guests leave them behind and you’ll be stuck with them for the rest of your life.
Spend on what gets noticed
Photography: Long after your wedding, the only things you’ll be left with are memories and pictures. This is not the task to assign to that cousin who took a few photography classes in college.
“If you want to put money into something, put it into photography,” Ms Harris says. “With photography, you definitely get what you pay for.”
If you want to put money into something, put it into photography
Sheavonne Harris,
owner and lead coordinator, Events by Sheavonne
The guest experience: Both Ms Glantz and Ms Harris recommend paying attention to weddings you attend as a guest before your own big day. What made you feel welcome?
Guests won’t remember that you got married in a picturesque historic mansion, but they will remember if that mansion had only one bathroom with a 20-minute line to use it. Cut expenses elsewhere to focus on food, drink, entertainment and guest comfort.
Professional vendors: Hiring a friend or doing a task yourself might feel like a money-saving move. Ms Harris cautions that unlike a professional vendor, your friend likely won’t have a back-up plan for when the flower order is late or the sound equipment is on the fritz.
Booking a pro at the last minute because that friend backs out will end up costing you even more.
Use rewards credit cards
Many self-employed vendors don’t accept credit cards, but whenever possible, pay for wedding costs with a rewards credit card. Not only can you earn cash back or travel rewards (hello, discounted honeymoon!), but should a vendor not honour their commitment, you can dispute charges.
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Autumn international scores
Saturday, November 24
Italy 3-66 New Zealand
Scotland 14-9 Argentina
England 37-18 Australia
Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge – Rally schedule:
Saturday: Super Special Spectator Stage – Yas Marina Circuit – start 3.30pm.
Sunday: Yas Marina Circuit Stage 1 (276.01km)
Monday: Nissan Stage 2 (287.92km)
Tuesday: Al Ain Water Stage 3 (281.38km)
Wednesday: ADNOC Stage 4 (244.49km)
Thursday: Abu Dhabi Aviation Stage 5 (218.57km) Finish: Yas Marina Circuit – 4.30pm.
THE SPECS
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Top speed: 250kph
Fuel consumption: 6.8L/100km
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Price: Dh146,999
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
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- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
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Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
