After an unavoidable slump last year as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, 2021 is shaping up to be the year of the comeback wedding – even if a little smaller than planned.
As global lockdowns were enforced in 2020, thousands of people were forced to put their weddings on hold.
People lost large deposits, scrapped guest lists and cancelled or downsized their ceremonies – some even got hitched on Zoom.
But as the economy shifts into rebound mode and nations push forward with vaccination campaigns, a wedding boom is on the horizon.
I'm getting a lot of couples looking to get married the end of this year or beginning of 2022. They are using the wedding not only as a celebration but also as a reunion party
Wedding planners are rescheduling again and many couples have set new dates for their big day.
Natalie Hodgson, founder of Dream Asia Wedding, a destination wedding service, said enquiries had picked up over the past month.
"I've been getting a lot of organic enquiries for couples looking to get married at the end of this year or beginning of 2022," she told The National.
“I’m finding that they are using the wedding not only as a celebration of getting married but also as a reunion party.
“Most couples will have friends and family gathering from around the world, but with the travel restrictions in place most haven’t seen people for a long time.”
She said she has had interest in bookings for big getaways to places such as Thailand and the Seychelles.
And because people have not travelled abroad for so long, couples were able to "save more and in turn have more disposable income for big celebrations".
With her nuptials rapidly approaching, bride-to-be Angeline D'Souza, 45, is scheduled to exchange vows with her fiance on May 22.
The couple had originally set dates for November last year and February this year, but had to postpone both because of travel and guest-capacity restrictions.
“We got engaged in December 2019 and decided to wait a few months to make concrete plans,” the banking executive said.
“Then bang, March 2020 struck. Planning was so tough because I’m from India and my partner is from the UK and we wanted two ceremonies in both countries, but the travel restrictions just made that impossible.
“We rescheduled for February this year but in December the new Covid-19 variant was announced and not long after the UAE was put on the UK travel red list.
"A raft of new health and safety restrictions were also introduced which meant we couldn't have as many guests at our wedding as we hoped."
Not wishing to force family members to hotel quarantine if they did travel overseas, the couple settled on a date in May.
“Planning has been tough but we are remaining positive that all will go ahead for May,” she said.
“I had booked hotel accommodation for my family members who were due to visit in February, but I had managed to save my deposit by switching the dates.”
The National spoke to a number of hotels in Dubai that said deposits for venues or catering packages could be transferred to new dates if couples have to reschedule because of issues related to Covid-19. The majority requested a three-month notice period for date changes.
At the start of the year, Makenzie Landeros, 24, got engaged to her partner Taz Kheriwala, 28.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding Covid-19, they are planning to say “I do” in January next year.
“Taz is Indian and I am from the US. Traditionally, Indian weddings last several days but we have decided to cut it to two days, the first being the western celebration and the second an Indian one, so we are cutting back,” said Ms Landeros, owner of an entertainment company in Dubai.
“Taz wants to do the ceremony in Bali and I want to do it here in Dubai.
“My main concern is that Bali is still closed due to corona and it will be difficult trying to plan and pay for things from afar.
“We did think about putting it off for later next year but decided against it.
“Planning isn’t straightforward. If we are talking to venues we have to be conscious that they are flexible with things like deposits, just in case we do have to reschedule.”
In October, Dubai's government declared wedding receptions of up to 200 people would be permitted, opening up the opportunity for newlyweds to celebrate with a larger group of friends and family.
But in January, Dubai’s disaster committee issued a new decision for weddings, social events and private parties.
The guest capacity for weddings was reduced to 10 people and was limited to only first-degree relatives.
Rhiannon Downie-Hurst, founder of brideclubme.com, a wedding website, said her business is still affected by the pandemic, so she has had to find ways to adapt and evolve.
“There has been a definite increase in demand for smaller, more intimate wedding spaces and off-the-beaten-track venues,” she said.
“Due to the number of restrictions [that remain], yes, guest numbers have been a lot smaller.
“It is much easier for, say, British expats to organise and arrange smaller weddings, than, say, Indian destination-wedding couples, who tend to have a three-day wedding event with hundreds and sometimes thousands of guests in attendance.
“We have noticed that for Indian and Arab couples, many have been moving their weddings over to Ras Al Khaimah, as up until recently they were allowing any number of guests, so long as it was capped at 50 per cent capacity of the venue.”
In terms of destinations popular with Dubai couples, Ms Downie-Hurst said the Seychelles was been a top choice for those wanting to elope or have a "small and legal beach wedding".
Georgia also recently opened up and is a popular choice, because flights are only a few hours long.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
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Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
Remaining fixtures
- August 29 – UAE v Saudi Arabia, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
- September 5 – Iraq v UAE, Amman, Jordan (venue TBC)
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
Brief scores:
England: 290 & 346
Sri Lanka: 336 & 243
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
